Dream of Me, Sleeping Beauty
by A.C.Terrell
Summary: Five years after the Harmons left, two strange elderly sisters move into the house with their great niece, a beautiful young woman in a coma. These women seem to know about the spirits of the house, and have plans for all of them especially Tate.
1. Welcome to your new home

The rain fell as Tate stood in his old bedroom window and watched the moving van pull up to the house. It had been five years since the Harmon's had left, taking his Violet with them. Vivian had to be put into a mental hospital after the ordeal with the child, and Violet had gone to live with her father back in Boston. She would be getting ready to finish college by this time. Since the Harmons, no one had come to murder house until now. Several times his mother had come looking for him but, she might as well be one of the ghosts of the house. Tate stayed to himself now. He was content to waste away in the misery of the love he had almost had and lost. Now he stood watching as the new victims of the house pulled up in a large light blue minivan. A few minutes later he heard the front door open. He turned and walked away into the darkness, the in between where the dead seek solace from each other and the rest of the world. To the living it was known as sleep. But with sleep only a person's conscious went off to a different world. To a ghost, his entire being disappeared into his own, memories and dreams. Tate now disappeared to a place where he wasn't dead and his Violet had never left, where they were happy again now and forever.

It was several days before Tate finally came out of the darkness to see the new inhabitants of murder house. He appeared in the kitchen, where Moira was busy fixing lunch.

"So, who are the new victims," he asked sitting at the high top table staring at the elderly maid with large dark eyes.

She had always been kind to him, even after his mother had killed her. She always seemed to genuinely care about him.

"It is two Elderly sisters, Katherina, and Audriana. They are very kind. Both of them are a little eccentric, but very funny. They embraced me as soon as they met me. I had to convince them that I wanted to work here, instead of just living here." She said keeping her head down over her work.

"Great," Tate mumbled,

Moira turned to look over her shoulder at him with large eyes, one light blue and one brown and said in a soft voice,

"I like them, there is something different about them."

She turned back to her work and whispered quietly,

"Even your mother likes them." Tate's eye brows shot up. Normally his mother hated everyone who moved into the house, though she herself could not bear to live in it. The pair remained quiet for several minutes before Tate finally asked,

"So where are these strange old women?" in a dead pan voice.

Moira turned to get something out of a nearby cabinet.

"They went to get Miss Briar's medication."

Tate tilted his head, "I thought it was just the two sisters living here?" he asked.

Moira's eyes flashed at him.

"She is their great niece. She is the reason they came to live here, to be closer to her doctors. Though, I figured you would have already seen her since she is staying in your room."

Tate tilted his head curiously, "I didn't notice anyone moving around upstairs."

Moira then realized that he must not have seen, and therefore did not know.

"She wouldn't be moving around…She is in a coma. It is quite sad really. She is a few years older than you were, very beautiful." She said with a grin, "She reminds me of a fairy tale princess."

Tate looked up towards the second floor of the house. Moira watched as he got up and walked out of the room. She knew he was in pain from losing the Violet girl. He had really been in love with her. She had changed him somehow. He was more mature, more conscious of the world and people around him. He wasen't as selfish, wallowing in his own misery. She didn't know what would happen when he met the girl. But with these new occupants Moira had a feeling they would change everything especially the young one, Briar Rose.

Tate slowly walked up the stairs towards his old room. He normally didn't care about anyone or anything, but something had changed since they had moved in. The house itself seemed different. Slowly he walked to the door of his old room, and pushed it open. Inside the room looked as if it had been taken from a story book, the furniture which had been modern with the Harmons looked now as if it had been taken from a castle or something. Tate felt as if he had stepped back in time, looking at the dark embellished wood furniture. The walls had medieval tapestries hanging from them with scenes of forests, and other stuff on them. His eyes ,however, were drawn towards the large unique four poster bed against the wall. It took up a good portion of the room. The posts of the bed looked like large trees growing out of the floor towards the middle of the bed where they grew into a joined point. From each of these trees long pieces of sheer green fabric draped over the branches and down the sides of the bed concealing its occupant. The only obvious technology in the room was several medical machines sitting by the bed. Tate could see several wires leading from the machine up onto the large bed. Quietly Tate walked up to the bed and pulled back the drape and felt his dead heart nearly jump start. There on the bed was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Moira had been right she did look like a fairy tale princess. She had long white blond that spread out around her like a halo. She had soft pink lips and soft pale skin almost as pale as her hair, and rosy red cheeks. Besides the wires hooked up to her arm she looked as if she might have simply been peacefully sleeping. Tate sat on the edge of the bed and just stared at her for what seemed like and was in reality was hours.

"Well, well, you must be Tate," a voice said behind him.

Tate jumped and turned to see two elderly ladies smiling at him. They looked as if they had both come from a hippy convention wearing long flowing flowered dresses with their long white hair hanging down their backs.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to break in, Moira and my mom told me about you, so I came over to say….." but he was quickly interrupted,

"Oh its alright dear, we no exactly who you are, we were wondering when you would show up." one smiled,

"Yes, your mother said you loved hanging around here. We know this was your room, we didn't think you would mind if we put our sleeping beauty in here, we thought she might be safer from the other less desirable residents of the house,"

Tate stared wide eyed at the two women. Did they know? This was becoming too weird for him. But.. he turned back to the girl lying in the bed, for some reason, he didn't want to leave. He turned back towards the women, but quickly jumped as one of them had come to stand by him leaning in only a few inches and looking at him with scrutinizing eyes. He could only stare back as she watched him with piercing green eyes.

"Yes, I think he will do Audie," she said with a smile leaning back. Audie glided over almost as if she wasn't walking at all and smiled down at him with bright blue eyes.

"Well Kat I believe we have frightened him enough, we need to give Briar her medicines now." she said holding up a bag.

Tate stood up to leave, "Well, I think I'll go visit my mom. It was nice meeting the both of you. I'll see you around," he said backing out of the room.

After he left Kat turned to Audy, "I think he is the one,"

Audy pulled several liquid medicines out of the bag to put into Briar's IV.

"I hope so, Kat, time is almost up, her step mother will come for her soon. If he can't wake her up…I fear the worse, for all of us."

Kat sat down another bag that held different herbs and flowers, and began taking them out and crushing them in a small marble bowl,

"We took a big risk, buying this house. This ritual will be dangerous, they will know she is here." she whispered as she mixed the herbs.

Audy lit several colored candles, "they will find out sooner or later, but we need to know if she is really still there or if she has moved on to the light. If she has, then there is no point, if she is still here, there is hope. Besides, it will be better for them to meet on their own instead of us forcing, you know that." then began praying for protection over her great niece.

Kat began sprinkling the herbs around Briar's bed in a circle of protection, and joined in prayer with Audy. Then together they performed a ritual to try to contact the sleeping girls spirit. As they stood on either side of the bed and held their hands up, chanting. The room began to change, the mirrors began reflecting a stormy sky. A voice like a bell echoed through the house. All of the spirits in the house froze to listen. The mirrors changed again revealing a forest scene. The forest was filled with a thick fog that covered everything. The women stopped chanting and stepped away from the bed. Suddenly, a vision of the girl appeared in the mirror, she looked around as if lost, again she called

"Hello, is anyone there?" and her voice rang though the house like a shock wave.

The vision of her suddenly appeared in the room with the women. She wore a beautiful long white flowing gown, and her long white blond hair fell down her back in waves. She looked around with her piercing unique eyes, one bright blue, and one bright green. They looked at her, and though she looked in their direction, she could not see them. Shaking her head sadly she turned and walked away disappearing into one of the walls. The women looked at one another and smiled, she was still there, she hadn't given up, she was still lost, but she was searching. The mirrors showed Briar within the forest, the way, she saw the world she was in. She was lost within her mind, and needed to be found. She needed to be saved, by someone who could journey into the darkness to find her. She needed a knight in shining armor.

After the women left the room, another watched the sleeping girl from the shadows. He watched the mirrors with hunger in his black eyes. He looked over her luscious sleeping form on the bed. The skin tight rubber stretched against his growing erection. He would make her his. She was strong unlike the woman before. He could feel it. He wanted to touch her. He stepped towards the bed, but as he walked towards the bed he came upon the circle of herbs and flowers that the old women has set out. As soon as his foot touched it, he felt a stinging and burning sensation rushing through his body, as if he were being electrocuted. He was thrown back against the wall. He growled angrily at the circle keeping him away from her. His entire body seared with pain that he had not known before. He would have to wait and bide his time. He was a very patient being, but he would have her. He swore to the darkness then and there, that she would be his one way or another….


	2. Lost in a dream

Chapter 2

Briar Rose looked around the misty forest in frustration.

"Where am I?" she asked out loud, simply to hear something other than silence.

Her voice wandered off though the tall trees calling the question in an endless echo that after a few moments returned to her as if due to the fact that there were no other ears to hear it. Briar looked all around, up and down. Everywhere she looked there were trees and fog. But the fog was so thick, she could not see more than five to ten feet in front of her. The tops of the trees disappeared into the low hanging cloud. Everything seemed almost black and white due to the fog, except the ground. The entire ground of the forest was covered in a rich green moss. The moss was soft and plush and felt good against her bare feet. She did not know how long she had walked, or how long she had been there. She didn't remember how she came to be there. She only remembered someone needing help, and then a loud noise, and when she opened her eyes. She was in the forest. When she first arrived she thought she might have been dead and this is the other world, or limbo, but she felt her heart beat. At first it was faint and then became steady and strong. Besides the training her great aunts had taught her said that she would not be alone when she passed into the other world, so she couldn't be dead. She was lost some how, at least her spirit was. It had to be just her spirit because she felt neither hungry or tired even though she had been walking for some time. She needed to find her way out of the forest. She tried to lay down and close her eyes to see if she would naturally find her way back. But when she closed her eyes a strange white light appeared, and she could hear someone calling for her to come. It was strange but it was somehow comforting and terrifying at the same time. 'I'll find my way out a different way,' she thought climbing to her feet.

Suddenly she felt a change in her environment, like the presence of someone in the forest with her.

"Hello?," she asked looking around to see if anyone was there.

She didn't see anyone. The forest was completely quiet. But she could feel someone there, she felt them watching her.

"Is anyone there,?" she asked, "please, I'm lost, I can't find my way.." she said in a pleading voice looking around.

The voice of reason sang in her head, 'why are you telling it you're vulnerable? You don't even know what or who it is! Remember you're aunt's training, it is dangerous to trust an invisible being who refuses to show itself.'

But there was something different about this being was watching her. Its presence felt warm, and inviting, not evil or dangerous at all. She felt a sadness in the being, and it made her want to comfort whoever or what ever it was. Suddenly she felt another change in the environment, and began to feel the being slipping away.

"NO," she cried running first in one direction and then another, not knowing where to go.

"PLEASE….don't go," she cried to the forest. Then she felt something on her face and brought her hand to her cheek. There a single tear slid down her face.

'Why am I crying over a being I cannot see, and have never met before.' she thought studying the tear on her palm.

Suddenly she felt a new presence near her. This was a presence she knew well. Looking around she sought to find her great aunts, her mentors. But again she could not find anyone other than herself in the forest.

"Hello," she called out, again her voice traveled through the forest seeking someone to hear it.

But this time it did not return to her. Someone must have heard her. She felt the presence of her aunts begin to move in one particular direction, as if leading her somewhere. She did not know what was going on. But she had always trusted her aunts to know what is best, and now was no different. She followed the presence of her aunts through the misty forest. After what seemed like forever she came to a clearing in the forest. In the clearing there was a great mansion. It was beautiful and tall. But Briar got a sense of foreboding from it. She could tell this house was cursed. Looking down at her feet, she noticed a line of mushrooms. She looked and saw that the line of mushrooms ringed around the clearing. A fairy ring. Every bit of her training screamed at her to run away from this house, it was dangerous. But the presence of her aunts urged her on. So she took a deep breath and stepped over the ring. Nothing terrible happened so she continued walking towards the house. Inside the house she felt the presence of her aunts lead her upstairs, so she followed. The house seemed almost ghostly, like a dream. She walked upstairs and saw one of the doors slightly a jar. There seemed to be to be a light coming from the room. Upon walking in Briar cried in delight. There in the room was all of her beautiful things. She ran and jump on her beautiful forest bed, spreading out across it. But as soon as she lay down she felt a jolt, and sat up.

'My body is here.' she thought looking down at the bed. 'But I am still in the forest,' she thought walking to look out the great window of the room.

Suddenly, she thought she heard the voices of her aunts, and turned back towards the bed. But there was no one there,

"Hello," she whispered hoping to hear something, anything. There was only silence. Sadly she shook her head and walked away from the room, to see what else she could find in the house.

As she walked through the house, she began to see shadows of people. But when she called out to them they would disappear. In two of the other bedrooms, she found all of her aunts belongings. Walking further into the house, she found all of her families belongings in one place or another. It seemed as if this were her home. She walked into the kitchen and saw what looked like a figure working at the counter. She saw the fainted glint of red, and reached to put her hand on the figures shoulder, but her hand fell through. Though the figure turned and looked over its shoulder as if looking for who ever touched it. Briar didn't waste her breath attempting to speak to the figure. Instead she sadly turned around and walked away. Walking back to her room, she walked to the large mirror that she often played dress up in front of as a child. She turned and looked around the big room wondering what to do next. Suddenly she heard a noise behind her and turned back to the mirror. She jumped back in shock as there in the mirror stood a boy, staring at her. He looked as shocked as she was. He was a handsome boy, with dirty blond hair, and dark black eyes. She stared at him for several moments before getting the courage to quietly whisper,

"hello?" The boy just stared wide eyed back at her. Briar heaved a sad sigh and shook her head turning away from the boy.

"Hello," she suddenly heard behind her and whipped around in shock to where the boys image now smiled at her. She couldn't help but smile back at such a beautiful smile.


	3. Beauty meets the Beast

Chapter 3

Tate had been sitting on the bed just staring at Briar's sleeping form when he though he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He looked around and was shocked to see the image of the sleeping girl inside the mirror and walking towards him. He jumped off the bed so quickly he tripped over one of the drapes and fell to the ground. Once on the ground he froze as she was now in full view of the mirror. He thought she was beautiful sleeping. But now seeing her image awake in the mirror, she really was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen in his life and death. He felt as if the entire world was falling away and attempting to take him with it and she was the only thing keeping him from falling into the darkness. As he watched, a look of sadness appeared on her beautiful face. Tate felt as if his heart was being ripped out of his body as he watched her turn away. Scrambling to his feet, he all but ran to the mirror. Grabbing the mirror, on either side he unceremoniously pulled hard on the top to tilt it more towards him, in the hope of bringing her image even a few inches closer. When he moved the mirror it made a loud noise., and Tate suddenly found himself face to face with a woman who he was sure could smile and make him want to rip his own heart from his body and offer it to her on a golden platter. Tate could honestly say he had never felt this way about anyone before, not even Violet. He became lost in her beautiful blue and green eyes. It didn't register with him that she had whispered something to him, until she turned to walk away. He had to think of something fast to get her to stay,

"Hello," was the best he could come up with.

She turned around. She could hear him, he couldn't help but smile. When she smiled back, he felt the entire world fall away again. Her smile seemed to out shine the sun.

"You can hear me, and see me?" she asked still smiling at him.

All Tate could do was nod in response.

Her smile became bigger, "My name is Briar…Briar Rose," she said stepping closer to the mirror.

"I'm Tate," was all he could manage to get out, as he leaned closer into the mirror until his nose was almost touching.

"Tate," she repeated.

"It's nice to meet you, I realize this must be weird….but…can you tell me where I am?" she asked looking hopefully at him.

Tate shook his head to bring himself out of his stupor.

"You're in your room…you're at your new home, with your aunts. You just moved here." He says quietly attempting to hide the fact that he was visibly shaking from nervousness.

'What the hell is wrong with you?' His thoughts demand in his head.

Briar listens intently and asks, "And…where is here?"

Tate looks around at the house behind him, and wished they could be in any other house but this one.

"We're in California," he says finally turning back to her.

Briar's smile returns as she had always wanted to visit California.

Now it was Tate who asked a question, "Why you are in there?" he asked.

Now it was Briar who looked down,

"I don't know…I don't remember. I'm lost." She said looking back up at him sadly.

Once again Tate felt as if his heart was being ripped from his body. He officially hated seeing her sad, and never wanted to see it again.

"But you're not lost, your body is right here." He said moving aside to show her the bed where her sleeping form lay.

"You are in a coma. Why don't you wake up?" Briar looked past him to the bed and gasped as she saw her sleeping form.

Silent tears started to run down her face as she looked at herself laying there on the bed. Tate instantly became angry with himself. He didn't mean to make her cry. That's the last thing he wanted to do.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, hanging his head in shame.

"No, no it's fine…it's just ...weird seeing my body lying on a bed like that and hearing that I'm in a coma." She laughed wiping her tears away.

"I'm afraid I don't know how to get back. I'm not even sure how I got here. I was wandering in the forest, and came upon this mansion. I think my aunts lead me here. Do you know where they are?" she asked.

Suddenly a voice behind Tate interrupted them. "My God, what have they done to your room?"

Tate whipped around to see his mother standing in the doorway looking around the room in disgust. When he turned back around Briar's image was gone from the mirror.

Angrily he turned to face his mother, "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Constance ignored his question and walked into the room.

"It looks like a fairy tale book threw up in here." She said holding a bottle in her hand.

She was obviously drunk. She walked up to the bed and pulled back one of the curtains.

"Well, looky... a real live sleeping beauty." She sneered looking down at Briar Rose.

Tate came to stand beside his mother, suspicious of what she was doing.

"What are you doing here, mother." He asked, looking at his mother.

"You know, I don't believe she is that pretty. She looks strange to me with that white hair. I mean what twenty one year old has white hair?" she said picking up a lock and letting it drop.

Tate looked down at Briar and whispered, "I think she is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

Constance rolled her eyes, "Don't start that again I suffered enough of that love crap with Violet. Besides, this girl is too old for you. You are jail bate to her." She slurred taking another drink from the wine bottle.

An annoyed look appeared on Tate's face, "technically, I'm older than she is…but wasn't it you who always said age doesn't matter as long as there is love?" he challenged his mother with an evil smile.

Constance just rolled her eyes and took another swig. She turned and picked up a throw pillow that was sitting in a nearby chair. Tate glanced over to the mirror longing to see her standing there smiling at him again. He didn't see his mother take the pillow and quietly place it on Briar's face. An alarm from one of the machines went off, alert Tate to his mother's actions. A roar of rage ripped from his throat as he rushed forwards and pushed his mother away from the bed and leaned protectively over Briar's body.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU BOY. I'M TRYING TO HELP US!" his mother shouted from the chair she had landed in when he threw her.

"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HER!" Tate roared back at his mother, a look of death on his face. His mother gasped and covered her hand with her heart. She had never seen her son like this before.

"Tate, if she is dead, they will leave, and we will have the house back to ourselves, don't you understand boy?" she tried to reason.

Tate walked towards his dear mother, with a look of pure evil on his face. He gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"That's my sweet boy," she crooned closing her eyes with a smile, "Soon, things will go back to normal, you can have your room, back and go back to being miserable and lonely and….."

Constance suddenly gasped as Tate wrapped his hands around her neck and squeezed. She struggled to get free of his murderous grip but he was too strong even as a ghost.

"If you ever, try to harm her again…I will make you suffer like you have never suffered before, you old hag. She is mine, and I don't care if I have to take on God himself to keep her. Now you have always been a survivor, if you don't promise me right now that you will help me watch over her, I will crush your throat, and then torture you for eternity, and I'm sure Moira, and Larry's family would love to do the same. Do you understand?" he asked in a dark evil voice.

Constance was beginning to turn blue and her eyes roll back into her head. But she still managed to nod, and Tate released her, walking back to sit on the bed with Briar. Constance sat there for several minutes gasping and coughing attempting to catch her breath.

'What has happened to him?' She thought to herself, 'He has changed, that girl has done something to him. He didn't even act this way with Violet.'

She sat there and watched how he looked down at the girl as if she were the only thing in the world.

"Moira was right…there is something different about these people, especially that girl." She said her voice still weak from the attack upon her person.

"Well, hello Miss Constance, how are you, we didn't realize you had come to visit?" Audy said as she and Kat stood in the doorway wearing their gardening clothing. Constance's eyes widened as she stood and turned to face the women wearing her usual fake smile.

"Tate, has told me so much about your beautiful niece, I had to come over and see her for myself. She is just the most darling little thing." she said smiling and taking a step towards the bed.

But Tate gave her a look that stopped her in her tracks.

"Thank you so much, We love her dearly." Kat said smiling, "We were just in our garden and pulled some of the most beautiful vegetables you have ever seen. We must have you stay for dinner."

"Oh no I simply couldn't" Constance stammered wanting nothing more than to run from the room. "Oh but we insist," Audy smiled as she and Kat took a step forward and wrapping an arm around Constance's shoulder and sweeping her out the door, and down the hallway.

Kat watched until they left the room and smiled back to Tate, "what a lovely woman."

Tate who had been sitting on the bed leaning over Briar like a mother hen over her chicks had to smile at the woman's words.

"Its alright Tate," she said coming to stand by the bed.

"She didn't hurt her, even though she looks fragile, it would take a lot to hurt her. We trained her well." she said looking down at her niece.

Tate turned and looked at her with big dark eyes., "What happened to her?" he asked.

A look of sadness crossed Kat's face.

"Something that never should have happened. It is our laws that if we see someone in need we have to help in anyway that we can, we are under oath to do so. To stand aside and do nothing would result in a major punishment. She saw a person in need and attempted to help them. But there are those who do not understand us or what we are and do. They believed she was evil, and attempting to harm. She was shot in the head a point blank range, a shot that would have killed a normal person. But the very same law that obligate us to help those in need protect us, and she was spared, at least for a time. By the time we got to her, she was almost dead and the best we could do to save her was to send her spirit to a safe place thus putting her into a coma."

Tate's eyes widened upon hearing what happened to the girl laying next to him. He turned and look at her head wondering where in her head she was shot.

Kat sensed his curiosity and continued, "She was shot in the back of the head. But she is now completely healed. She has been in a coma for five years now. Though her spirit does not now how much time has passed. To her it may have only been a few hours, or at most a few days."

Tate's eyes widened again as he turned back to Kat "Five years? Why haven't you been able to find her spirit. Surely you can do it." he asked.

Kat's head dropped, "We did try…but for some reason we could not bring her back. It was not our destiny to do so. There is some reason she has been there for this long. Just as there is a reason we were brought here, and a reason she revealed herself to you. All three of us are now under law to help you and the other entities of this house, no matter what happens to us." she said raising her head to smile at him again.

"You could call it fate. Anyway I was wondering if you could help me. I left some of Briar's medicines down in the kitchen with Moira, would you be a dear and run and get it for me? It's the little blue bottle with a white top."

Tate hesitated turning to look again at Briar, not wanting to leave. Then he felt a soft warm hand on his shoulder and turned to see Kate smiling warmly at him,

"She will be fine."

Tate slowly got up and begrudgingly walked out of the room. Kat watched him go and pulled out a small woven leather pouch. Reaching into the pouch, she pulled out a handful of crushed herbs and plants and began sprinkling them, adding to the circle already around the bed.

"This should move things along," she giggled.

Down in the kitchen, Tate found Audy, Constance, and Moira having a cup of tea, and laughing together. A look of fear crossed Constance's face upon seeing her son.

"Oh did that Kat forget Briar's medicine again. Thank you Tate for coming to get it for us. I'm afraid we are too old to be running up and down those stairs. We can't move like we used to." she laughed.

Tate said nothing but grabbed the medicine and quickly ran back up the stairs.

"Children are such a blessing, aren't they," Moira smiled, "If only I could have had my own," she said shooting an evil look towards Constance.

"Oh I know how you feel," Audy laughed, "I wish I could have had my own, but it was not in my stars to."

Constance looked at Audy, "I am sorry."

Audy just shook her head and smiled,

"Oh its fine, There are those meant to bare and those not meant to. Besides little Briar Rose was all the child I have ever needed. She is like a daughter to Kat and I."

Suddenly Audy's blue eyes darkened to black, and a murderous look appeared on her face as she still smiled at Constance.

"Which is why if you ever try to harm our baby again. We will make sure you never leave this house, and your suffering will be worsen one hundred fold from what Tate has promised you." she said staring down Constance.

Who was so taken aback by the ferocious look on the other woman's face she forgot to breath for a moment. Then Audi's happy smiling face returned and her eyes brightened back to their icy blue.

"I'm glad we have an understanding. Now Miss Moira, shall we get on with dinner?"

Later that night Tate sat in front of the mirror waiting to see Briar again. He had been waiting for hours, but she did not return. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to go and strangle his mother for interrupting. Finally, Tate gave up and went to sit in his usual spot on the bed. He stared at her for what seemed like hours watching her sleep. Gently he reached out and touched her cheek, her skin felt warm and soft. He was quickly becoming tired. He would have to return to the darkness soon. But he did not want to leave her ever. Slowly he lifted the covers and slide in beside her on the big bed. Laying his head in the crook of her neck, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to be taken away into the darkness. But when Tate opened his eyes, she was gone. He sat straight up looking around for her. The house had some how changed. Jumping from the bed he rushed through the house looking for her. But there was no one in the house. Running back to her room he froze at the doorway. There standing in front of the mirror was Briar. She was looking into the mirror intently. Tate looked past her into the mirror and saw himself asleep on the bed, holding a sleep asleep Briar.


	4. Once upon a dream

Chapter 4

Briar stood looking in the mirror studying the sleeping boy who was wrapped around her own sleeping form. She had just been speaking to him a moment before. She had been distracted by some large black object moving out of the corner of her eye. But when she looked there was nothing there. When she turned back Tate had disappeared from the mirror and was now laying in the bed under the covers, asleep with his arms wrapped around her body, and nuzzling his nose into her neck like a cat.

"Well,…that's interesting," she grinned looking at the scene.

There was something about him that was…intoxicating. When he smiled at her, she felt her knees go weak,. She felt nervous, almost dizzy. Which was strange because she wasn't in her physical body.

"Who are you, Tate?" she asked out loud., "Why, can you see me?….Why do you make me feel this way?"

"How do I make you feel?" the voice came so suddenly from behind her, Briar whipped around, and at that moment several things happened at once.

Tate had been standing on inches from her. Standing so close she felt his warm breath on her neck. Briar screamed in surprise that someone else was standing behind her, and stumbled backwards into the large mirror. Tate reached out to grab her to keep her from falling. But when she stumbled backwards, she knocked the mirror off balance which fell forward knocking her into Tate and sending both of them flying off their feet and rolling onto the ground..

The heavy mirror fell just inches from where Briar and Tate landed. Briar opened her eyes to find Tate laying on top of her hiding his face in the crook of her neck. After a moment Tate lifted his head and looked down at her with dark concerned eyes.

"Are you ok," he asked, bringing a hand up to gently stroke the side of her face.

Briar quietly nodded and whispered back, "are you?"

Tate nodded looking over every square inch as if to make sure she was really ok.

"How did you get here," she asked looking at him in wonder, as if she couldn't believe he was really there.

"I don't know,' he said in a husky voice lowering his eyes to her supple pink lips, "and...honestly I don't care right now."

He couldn't take it anymore and suddenly pressed his lips to hers. She couldn't believe this was happening. She had never been kissed before. There were strict rules about this sort of thing. But his lips were so warm and soft. Briar's eyes closed and she slowly began kissing him back. Briar didn't know how to kiss, but she was a quick study, and was soon kissing Tate as if she had been kissing him for years. The couple was swept away in the throws of passion, as their kissed deepened. Tate gently used his tongue to part her lip and allow him entry into her mouth to mate with her tongue. Briar felt her toes begin to tingle, and her stomach dance inside of her. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly. They didn't know how long they kissed . But when they finally broke, and Tate slipped off of her, they were both panting, and dizzy.

Briar was seeing stars as she sat up. She noticed Tate looking at her, and felt her face turn beat red.

"um…thank you," she whispered, not sure of what else to do.

Tate's eye brows shot up at her response to their kiss. Then they both burst into laughter.

"I'm sorry," she laughed, " I guess I can't believe you're here. I am in a dream after all." she said motioning to the heavy mirror that amazingly did not shatter in the fall.

Tate laughed, "Well then I guess I'm in a dream too," he smiled, and then added, "Though I'm kind of hoping that I don't wake up."

Briar's smile disappeared.

"Don't say that," she said quietly, "It's terrible being lost, and all alone, not knowing how to wake up and be among the world ."

Tate saw the sadness in her eyes and it nearly killed him all over again.

"I know, that feeling." he whispered turning his head away.

Briar looked up at him curiously before, his words registered.

Suddenly it dawned on her, "oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize," she whispered in awe looking at him through new eyes.

Tate looked back up to her, "it's ok, I'm used to it now. But at least if I'm in here I'm away from all of those fuck heads out there, and…I'm with you." he said with a smile that made her grow weak.

It took a lot of willpower for her to keep a somewhat straight face when he smiled at her.

"But, you don't even know me." she said looking at him intently.

At this Tate leaned forward and whispered,

"But I want to," in to her ear sending shivers down her spine.

His warm breath made her close her eyes and lean into him. Tate took this as encouragement, and began laying soft kisses on her neck. Briar sucked in a deep breath and began to melt in his arms.

Suddenly they were interrupted by a loud growling from somewhere in the room. Tate and Briar froze and looked around. A dark shadow crept into the room. The pair watched as the shadow crept towards the bed but stopped a foot from it. Again the black shadow growled and began moving around the bed, always staying exactly a foot from the bed. When it got to the spot where Briar and Tate sat in each others arms it walked right through them. Afterwards its seemed to stop for a moment and look in their direction before continuing on its circle around the bed. When it had finished, they heard another growl, and as quickly as the black shadow appeared, it disappeared.

Briar and Tate looked at one another for a moment before Briar asked,

"What was that?" to which Tate replied,

"One of the fuck heads, I mentioned. That thing is dangerous, you should stay away from him."

Briar turned to look again where the shadow disappeared. She may have been slow upon sensing that Tate was not alive anymore, but she could tell when she was in the presence of evil. Looking around the room, it dawned on her, this must be why she was brought to this house. This house, this boy, these spirits, the reason she was in this comatose state, they were her purpose. Closing her eyes, Briar sighed in relief and a big smile appeared on her face.

"Finally," she said out loud looking up to the sky and smiling, "thank you." she whispered.

Tate tilted his head in confusion as he watched her. She looked absolutely serene. She was so beautiful.

"Your welcome?" he said not sure what else to say.

Briar turned to look at him as if she had forgotten he was there. Suddenly she lunged at him and planted a deep passionate kiss on his lips that had him seeing stars. Then as quickly as she kissed him, she pulled away and jumped to her feet.

"So, can you show me around the house? I want to know everything that has happened here." She smiled holding out a hand to him.

Tate stared at her dumbfounded, and then after a moment he stood up,

"Ok," he grinned taking her hand in his own.

Together they walked though the house hand in hand as Tate regaled her with the past horrors of murder house. Briar listened intently asking a question every now and then. She saw the sadness in his eyes when he spoke of the girl who lived here before, Violet. Briar could tell that he had love the girl. When he told her of his own story, she couldn't fight the tears that ran down her face. She had to turn away from him several times The entire house was filled with sadness and hatred. It was as if evil had continually built upon the sin of its residents until it became such a concentrated evil it developed a life of its own. As they walked through the house they saw shadows, the spirits of the house, moving through their prison. She felt a sadness for the souls trapped here. She felt as if she knew them all from what Tate had told her of them. She now knew what her purpose was. She just couldn't understand why she had been brought here in the state she was in. But there was a reason for everything, and she was sure that it would reveal itself in due course.

When they came back to the room, they picked up the mirror to make sure that it wasn't broken. They saw themselves still sleeping together peacefully. Smiling at each other they walked to the bed within their own world, and curled up in each other's arms. Briar didn't know why she was so comfortable in his arms. She had always been afraid of being touched by another person. She guessed it was because others only touched her to harm her, unless it was her aunts embracing her. But with him, it felt so wonderful, and right. They lay there for what seemed like hours, just talking and laughing together. It was as if they had known each other forever. Briar lay her head on Tate's chest as he wrapped his arms around her and both closed their eyes just enjoying each other's presence. A moment later, Briar opened her eyes to find herself alone on the bed.

When Tate opened his eyes, Briar wasn't laying on his chest anymore. He sat up and looked beside him to see her sleeping peacefully. He looked down and saw the wires hooked into her arms and sighed realizing that he was back in the real world. Slowly he got up and walked to the mirror where he saw her standing in front of the mirror smiling at him. She lifted a hand, and pressed it against the glass. Tate put his own hand against the mirror palm to palm with hers, and leaned his forehead against the mirror. She brought her own forehead to the glass mirroring his motion.

"Tate?" a voice called behind him.

Tate didn't turn or take his eyes off of her, not wanting her to disappear just yet. He didn't have to turn around to know Moira had walked into the room.

"Miss Katherina and Audriana would like you to come to the kitchen, something about Miss Briar Rose, I believe."

Briar looked at him through the mirror and then mouthed something before her image disappeared as Moira came to stand at the mirror with Tate

"Tate, are you alright?" Moira asked looking into the mirror at her own reflection.

"Yea, I'm fine," he said as he turned and walked past Moira to the bed.

Leaning over Briar's form he gently kissed her soft lips, and whispered, "I love you too."

Then he stood smiled to Moira and walked down the stairs to the kitchen whistling happily. Suddenly something happened that hadn't happened in five years. Briar sighs in her sleep, and her fingers slightly curl.

Moira watched as Tate kissed the sleeping girl and then left the room. She used to hate the unruly boy, until he began to change. Then he seemed more tolerable, and eventually she grew very fond of him. Even though she hated his mother with the passion of a thousand suns. She could not hold that against the boy. Sighing, she looked around the girls room to see what all needed to be cleaned. She dusted all of the beautiful old books Briar's aunts had given her. She took the contents of the cloths hamper to the hall so she could do laundry. Then she noticed a circle of dirt and soot around the bed.

"Now where did you come from?" she asked grabbing her vacuum began to launch an attack on the invading dirt.

Afterwards she emptied the vacuum into a bag and went to leave the room. As she got to the door she turned and admired her work and smiled,

"A room fit for a princess."

Then she closed the door leaving the room in peace. As soon as the door closed a dark figure in a black rubber suit emerged from the shadows and stepped up to the bed over the now spotless floor. Looking down at the girl on the bed he gently takes a rubber hand and strokes the side of her face.

"I finally have you my sleeping beauty." He thought dragging his hand down her jaw line, neck and across her breasts.

Briar's face twitches as if in discomfort, and a small inaudible whimper escapes her lips. Meanwhile on the other side of the mirror, Briar suddenly began to feel a strange tingling sensation. Looking down, she noticed that she could suddenly see right through her hands.

She looked up to the mirror, and whispered in a panic, "Tate?" before she faded into darkness.


	5. Attack from the shadows

Chapter 5

Tate walked down to the kitchen to find Kat and Audy working over a giant simmering pot. They had their hair down as usual, and they each wore a colorful dress that matched their eyes. A strange smell hit him like a brick wall. It wasn't an unpleasant smell. It smelled like something pleasant, like some distant memory from his childhood when he would go and stay with his grandmother to get away from his crazy mother. "Hello Tate, how are you this fine morning?" Kat asked chopping up some very strange looking vegetables. Tate hadn't even realized that it was morning, had he been with Briar that long? As if reading his thoughts Audi gave a knowing smile to Kat and said, "Why yes, you were asleep for three days." Tate was dumbfounded, "Three days?" The womens' smiles grew bigger, "Of course, you seemed to be enjoying your dreams so we did not want to wake you." Kat chimed. Tate grinned remember his time with Briar in her dream world. Yes, he had enjoyed it very much. He felt like a new man. "You know Kat, I do believe he had grown a bit. He no longer looks like an angry teenager, but a handsome mature young man who is in love." Audy said dropping a sprig of some sort of plant into the pot, causing it to change colors. Kat squinted her green eyes at him, "I believe you're right. He does have that glow about him doesn't he." she said as she turned away to work on something else. "She is a lovely girl isn't she?" Audi said stirring the big pot. "She is amazing," Tate breathed, stepping closer to the giant pot where the women were working.

"So what are you making?" he asked looking over into the pot. "Oh, just a little something for the victims of the earthquake." Kat said turning back to pour a blue liquid into the pot. "What earthquake?" asked Tate looking curiously at the two strange women. The women smiled at him, "Why the Los Angles earthquake of course, terrible disaster." Tate raised an eyebrow, "But there hasn't been an earthquake in L.A. at least, not a big one for a long time." Kat and Audy began to laugh, "oh, silly boy, this earthquake hasn't happened yet." Audy said as she lift a spoon to take a sip of the contents of the pot. "Did your crystal ball tell you that or something?" Tate asked now thoroughly confused. Both women now burst into laughter as if they had heard the best joke in the world. "Of course not what do you think we are?" Kat laughed as she too took a sip of the broth. "Well, your witches, or wiccans aren't you?" asked Tate.

Both women suddenly stopped their laughter and their smiles disappeared. They glanced at one another before stepping around the counter to sit on either side of Tate. "Tate," Audy began, "We are not witches, or wiccans. We, are different from other people, but we are not evil. We were sent here by our father to free this house and the spirits in it. It is our destiny" Then Kat interrupted, "Well, It is Briar's destiny, We were sent here to help and protect her." Tate stared at the old woman and then said, "But you do spells, and stuff." Audy glanced at Kat again, "Tate, those are not spells, those are prayers,….rituals you might say. You see we aren't performing magic. We are simply using the energies already there and concentrating them for a certain purpose and asking our father to bless them. The herbs and plants you see us using are things our great father created on this earth for humans to use." Tate was utterly confused. "So what are you then? What is Briar? Why is she here, and what does it have to do with me?" he demanded now becoming irritated. Kat opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Moira walking into the room with several bags. "I cleaned miss Briar Rose's room." she said smiling at the trio as she walked past to the door. "Oh thank you, Moira." Audy said smiling back at the woman. "What is that you have there?" asked Kat looking at the bag in Moira's hand. "Oh there was some dirt around Miss Briar's bed so I cleaned it up." The old womens' eyes widened as Moira's words sank in. Tate heard one of them whisper, "Oh my God." before the sound of Briar's medical equipment went off.

Tate was instantly in a panic and took off leaving the old women to race up the stair three at a time. When he got to the top he was surprised to find Kat and Audy already at the door. They both looked different. Their clothing had changed to long white dresses, and they both held very sharp looking weapons with strange markings. They even seemed to look a bit younger. But he didn't care at that moment, he just wanted to get to his Briar. He was about to push past the old lady, when Audy reached out and touched the door with her finger tips. Suddenly the door exploded off of its hinges and went flying across the room. Tate froze and began trembling in anger as he saw the rubber covered man on top of Briar pulling her gown up over her thighs. A loud inhuman roar escaped his throat as he lunged towards the bed. He was going to rip the invader apart with his bare hands. But a second before Tate had his hands on the rubber covered figure, he dodged, nimbly jumping off the bed and causing Tate to slam onto the bed throwing Briar's body off the other side. A loud hissing noise sounded as one of the women threw their knives at the rubber man. It hit his shoulder causing him to scream in pain. Kat instantly dropped to her knees having no weapon now and began praying in an ancient language. Tate jumped over the bed and instantly had Briar's body in his arms. "Briar, wake up please, please, please wake up." He didn't know how long she could survive off of the machines. Her skin was becoming cold, and her lips were beginning to turn blue. He gently kissed her cold lips, and tears began to run, dropping on her face. "Please, please, don't die," he begged. Suddenly a soft voice sounded in his ear and he stared down in wonderment as Briar quietly moaned, "tate?" Suddenly he felt a burning hand on his shoulder. The rubber man had come up behind him. He grabbed Tate and threw him to the side into the wall. Tate jumped to his feet, his face contorted into an almost demonic expression. "STAY AWAY FROM HER!" he roared as the rubber man grabbed Briar's body in his arms. Suddenly the room began to shake and another knife came flying at the rubber man, hitting him in the leg. Another inhuman scream erupted from him and he nearly dropped her. Tate lunged towards the man again screaming in rage. But the rubber man disappeared with Briar leaving Tate to once again slam into the now empty bed.


	6. Battle in the basement

Chapter 6

Briar felt as if she were falling. Everything was dark, and cold. She had no idea where she was. She only knew she was scared. Suddenly, a bright light surrounded her, blinding her. She shielded her eyes and braced her body. "Open your eyes, little one," the deep rich voice sounded all around her, enveloping her in warmth. A smile spread across her face as she recognized the voice. Slowly she uncovered her eyes and looked around. She was standing in a white glowing room. In front of her stood her father smiling at her. He was not in his true form of course. She would have not survived looking upon him. But she knew it was him. She ran to him and threw her arms around him. "I have missed you." she said into the white cloth of his robe." "I never left you, you know that. I am always with you." he smiled wrapping his arms around her and stroking her hair. "I know," she said pulling back to look at him with tears in her eyes. "This place is so sad, so hopeless, so full of hate." Her father smiled and wrapped his arm around her. "But that is exactly why I have sent you there. They need you, Tate needs you. There is still hope for them. I haven't given up on them." he said as they began to walk.

"But I don't understand, why in a coma. Why am I lost.." she began but he interrupted her, "Why did I make the Sun a giant ball, why did I make man eating sharks….Why did I give my son to suffer a horrible death?" he laughed, "Don't you trust me anymore?" Briar looked appalled at the at the question, "of course I do!" she cried. "Well then, there is your answer, I have a reason for everything that happens. You just need to trust in me, and use the tools I have given you." Briar nodded accepting his words. "Now my child, it is time for you to wake up. You are going to face our enemy soon.." he said opening his arms once more. Briar smiled uncertainly as she embraced her father again. "I must ask for your forgiveness, I kissed the boy." she said looking down in shame. "You have it of course. Love is nothing to be shameful of. He loves you, and you love him. I want you to experience love, and when I created you, you were made with him in mind." Briar smiled and hugged him even harder. "Thank you," she said as the scene faded into darkness.

Tate laid face down on the bed where he had fallen. Kat and Audy looked at one another and stepped over to the bed. "Tate? Are you ok?" Kat asked gently touching his shoulder. "She's gone," his voice sounded dead. "She's not gone. She was simply kidnapped by a force of darkness that wants to rape impregnate her with the beast." Audy chimed in. Tate sat up, and the women saw the tears still streaming down his face, "WHY HER?" he demanded. "Because she is strong, stronger than the former resident was." Kat said looking of into the distance. "But that's besides the point right now. You know this house Tate. Where would he take that he would feel safe?" Audy asked watching him intently. Tate thought for a moment. Then it dawned on him. "He took her to the basement." he said jumping up from the bed and running out of the room. Kat and Audy watched him leave and then smiled to one another.

Tate raced down the stairs and kicked open the door of the basement door. Kat and Audy were already at the bottom of the stairs struggling with the spirits of the house who had tried to reenact some of the murders on Violet and her mother. "TATE HE HAS HER IN THERE. YOU HAVE TO GET TO HER BEFORE HE RAPES HER!" one of them screamed. Tat looked towards the back of the basement and saw the black figure on the old operating table on top of Briar. A sudden flash blinded him momentarily as one of the women let go a burst of energy that threw the ghosts back and caused them to disappear. Tate jumped over the railing went racing towards the figure. The man saw him coming and stood up off of Briar's body and grabbed him by the throat lifting him off the ground. Tate had never heard the dark figure speak but now a dark raspy voice growled at him, ".MINE." Another light flashed as a burst of energy hit the figure sending both men flying in opposite directions.

The women walked over to where Briar lay on the table, a sphere of energy orbs floating around them. "Tate you need to get her out of here now." Kat said looking down at her niece. Suddenly, a loud screech came from the darkness. Then infantata, the stitched together murderous child monster, came flying from the shadows at the two sisters. One of them tried to release a burst of energy at the monster but it missed. Infantata latched onto one of them. The other began screaming bloody murder and attacking it to get it off the other. Tate jumped up and wrapped his arms around Briar attempting to pick her up, when the rubber man came at him again. He grabbed Tate around the waist and slammed him into a nearby counter. The house rumbled as all of the hostile spirits were drawn to the basement to help in the fight. Sparks of light flew everywhere as the sisters battled the infantata and a few of the spirits. Their battle moved into the other part of the basement away from where Briar and Tate were. The rubber man repeatedly picked up Tate and threw him around the room. A normal person would have been killed by the force with which he was being beaten. But Tate got to his feet again and again to fight the man attempting to take away his love.

Suddenly the spirits of the reenactment grabbed Tate and held him back against the wall. The rubber man came over and whispered into his ear, "relax, you're going to enjoy this." he growled before turning and walking over to the table. Tate struggled against his captives, "DON'T YOU TOUCH HER YOU BASTARD!" he screamed. Rubber man crawled onto the edge of the table and unzipped the lower zipper of his suit, releasing his large erection. He looked up at Tate and then slowly began pulling up her gown. Tate began a horrifying inhuman scream as tears of rage ran down his face. The rubber man pulled down her green underwear and threw it at Tate. "NOOOO," he screamed, "NO NO NOOO," he was almost in a frenzy as the rubber man spread her legs and positioned himself to enter her. Then, something shifted in the house. The rubber man looked down at the girl beneath him in confusion. He suddenly found himself staring into a pair glowing blue and green eyes. Briar looked at him for a moment before she let loose a scream that shook the house. The spirits along with Tate were thrown back against the wall. At the same time some unseen force lifted Briar Rose and the rubber man right off the table, and into the air. The rubber man was thrown against the wall and instantly disappeared.

Briar hung in the air as a ball of blue energy formed around her and began spinning. Kat saw the ball of energy spinning around her niece and beginning to grow. "AUDY," she screamed to her sister while still fighting the infantata. "I SEE IT, GO ON, I'LL TAKE CARE OF THIS," she yelled back. Kat broke out of the fight and ran towards the ball of light. Tate sat dumbfounded against the wall. Kat came to stand a few feet outside of the ball of light. Slowly she put out her hand, and little by little the energy began flowing from the sphere around Briar, into the sphere around Kat. When the energy completely left Briar and went into the sphere around Kat, Briar collapsed from the air, falling to the floor. The energy now around Kat began to spin faster and faster until it suddenly compressed and disappeared into her body. Kat's body hung in the air for a moment before her back slightly arched and then she too fell to the ground


	7. awakened

Chapter 7

The house suddenly stopped shaking and with a final burst of energy the infantata disappeared with a shriek into the shadows. Audy ran into the room to where Kat lay on the floor. Tate ran Briar and picked her up in his arms, "Briar? Briar, come on baby please wake up." he begged laying gentle kisses on her face. Briar slowly opened her eyes and looked at him, with a small smile appearing on her face. Tate smiled and passionately kissed her lips. Suddenly a nearby cry caught there attention. Audy sat holding her sister, who lay bloody, and broken. Briar sat up from Tate's arms and slowly began crawling towards her aunts dragging her as of yet useless legs. Her body had been asleep for five years and was still weak. Tate also crawled over keeping one arm around Briar, not wanting to be even a few inches away from her. Briar got to her aunts, and a small moan escaped her lips as she saw the state her aunt was in. "Well, look at that Audy, our little sleeping beauty is finally awake." Kat said in a weak voice smiling at the couple. Briar weakly extended a hand to stroke her aunts face as tears began roll down her face. She looked up at Audy with pleading eyes, "Can't we save her?" she asked. Audy sadly shook her head, "Her body has been too damaged. Besides she has fulfilled her purpose, it's time for her to go home." she said as tears began to roll down her face as well. Kat looked up at Briar, "I'm too old for this now. Besides I miss father. You still have work to do though, remember what we have taught you. The darkness here is strong but you are stronger, you must save the souls here. I will be with you." she said her voice beginning to falter. Briar shook her head miserably, "I'm so sorry Kat. I didn't mean to" she cried "please forgive me." "There is nothing to forgive, Briar Rose. But you have to go on. Remember this is only a physical body. You will see me again soon." Kat smiled then she turned to Tate, "You had better take care of my niece and sister young man, remember I know where you live and where you are going." she said with a smile. Tate nodded sadly. Then Kat turned to look at her sister, "Don't cry over me you old coot. You'll see me again soon. We have a match to finish remember." Audy shook her head fighting her own tears, "I'll be there," she said her voice beginning to crack. "I'll be waiting," Kat said then she turned to Briar once last time, "Make me proud little one," then she closed her eyes and was gone.

They sat there for what seemed like hours crying over their lost sister and aunt. None of the spirits down in the basement dared attempt to attack them. Finally they decided it was time to go. Tate carried Briar up to the living area where he and Ben Harmon used to conduct their therapy sessions. He sat her on a large soft movie couch that was more like a bed than a couch. "Thank you," she smiled gently kissing his cheek before he straightened up. "Promise me you'll be where when I get back." He said looking at her with worried eyes. Briar smiled again and said, "Promise you'll come back." Tate returned her smile and walked out of the room and back down to the basement. Tate was impressed by Audy's strength as they carried Kat's body from the basement. She was almost carrying the body by herself. Tate observed the elderly woman, as they walked up the stairs. She had been cut up and bruised just as badly as her sister. But with each step they took, her cuts and bruises seemed to heal. So that by the time they got upstairs to Kat's bedroom, he couldn't tell she had just fought off the infantata. As they gently laid Kats body on the bed, Tate was amazed to find that her injuries had disappeared as well. She looked as if she were simply sleeping. Audy began covering her up and fixing her hair and other small tasks while Tate stood by anxiously. He wanted to help, but he was worried about leaving Briar alone. Audy seemed to sense his fear because she suddenly turned to him and said, "Tate, will you be a dear and go check on Briar for me? I'm a little worried about leaving her alone right now. She is still very weak from the ordeal." Tate nodded and turned to leave attempting to conceal his joy at being with Briar again. But as he got to the door he stopped and turned saying in a quiet voice, "I'm so sorry for your loss." Audy turned and smiled at him again and whispered, "Thank you for everything Tate."

Tate rushed down stairs and into the living area almost dreading what he would find. Briar still lay peacefully in the corner of the big couch with her eyes closed. Slowly he approached, afraid that if he made any noise he would discover that she had fallen into a coma again. But as he reached the couch her eyes fluttered open and she smiled whispering, "hello." Tate sighed in relief and crawled onto the couch snuggling in behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Briar sighed in contentment and snuggled deeper into his embrace. "I love you," he whispered into her ear. Briar smiled and whispered back, "I love you too." Before they both drifted off into a peaceful dreamless sleep.

When Tate woke up Briar wasn't on the couch with him. He instantly went into panic mode jumping off the couch and yelling her name. "Briar where are you? BRIAR, BRIAR!" he shouted running into the kitchen. Audy walked into the door wearing and a black dress and a large veiled hat. "Relax Tate it's all right. Briar is upstairs in the bathtub. She didn't want to wake up you but she woke up and was hungry, so I made her some food and helped her get up to the bathroom. The poor girl hasn't gotten to take a bubble bath in five years." She said taking off her hat. Tate watched as Audy sat down at the table for asking, "Where have you been?" he asked as she looked extremely tired. "I was down at the Coroner's office signing off on Kat's death certificate. She died of natural causes in her sleep. I believe they wouldn't believe me if I told them the truth so in this case ignorance is bliss." She said pulling out the tea pot, "I believe I will have a cup of tea. Would you like one Tate?" But Tate shook his head and said, "No thanks I think I will go check on Briar." Audy's eyebrow shot to the sky and a mischievous smile appeared on her face, "really?" Tate's face dropped as his eyes widened, "if that is ok with you of course. I would never do anything to hurt her, without her permission." Then he caught himself, "NO, I didn't mean that I mean." But Audy burst into laughter I know what you mean. Go ahead," she laughed waving him away. Tate smiled and dashed out of the room and up the stairs.

As he came to the bathroom he heard Briar singing in a language he didn't know. She had the most beautiful voice he ever heard. He stood there for several seconds listening to her sing before he heard her say, "Tate, are you going to come in or are you just going to stand outside the door like a creeper?" Tate opened the door and was attacked by a barrage of bubbles and steam. The entire room was filled with colorful bubbles that all seemed to be streaming from the giant circular tub in the middle of the bathroom. Tate stepped in feeling his hair instantly become damp and walked towards the bath tub that was stacked high with bubbles. He couldn't see Briar until she popped up from nowhere in the bubbles making him jump. She laughed and splashed around in the hot water. "Oh I missed this!" she laughed. Tate smiled at her joy and pulled up a chair next to the tub. He couldn't see any of her body because she was down in the deep tub that was more like a miniature pool, and she was covered by her hair and a large stack of bubbles that sat on her head and face. She looked like Santa clause with whipped cream on his head. Tate sat there quietly just enjoying being in her presence while she splashed around. But eventually his thoughts began to trouble him.

Briar noticed almost instantly and came over to his side. "What's wrong?" she asked propping up her elbows up on the edge of the tub and resting her head on her forearms. Tate couldn't conceal his thoughts anymore, "What happened down there," he asked, Briar suddenly became very interested in the floor tiles, "What do you mean?" she asked. "I mean what was all that downstairs in the basement? What was that light around you? What happened to your aunt? What did she mean you still have work to do? Why are you here? What are you?" he asked reaching out and gently wiping soap suds from her forehead. Briar closed her eyes and sighed deeply before she began. She prayed he would not hate her afterwards. "Throughout time we have been known, by many names: servants, messengers, guardians, bearers of light. We are sent here to serve to help and serve man kind and fight darkness in the name of our father. We are his agents. Some of us are sent here unseen, and those are guardians. They watch over humans, touching them with goodness, protecting them, doing all of their work unseen and most of the time unknown to man. Others take on a human form temporarily, they are the man who stops the woman from walking out in front of a speeding car, or the taxi driver who speaks to the would be suicide victim giving them hope. Then there are those like me and my aunts, who are sent here to earth by being born as a human to live a mortal life and to perform a certain task or tasks that will help to change mankind's fate. We become completely human but retain our…" Briar struggled to find the right word, "powers I guess you could say. We are sent here with a specific purpose or destiny that we must perform in order to go back home, and while we are here waiting to serve our purpose we must help those we see in need to the best of our abilities. If we do not we feel pain almost as a human feels guilt, like a punishment, because we are doing something that goes against our very natures to serve and protect. While we are here we are protected by laws, which allow us to serve our purpose. We can be hurt and feel pain, and even die. But if it is not our time and we have not served our purpose, we are given the chance to be saved."

Tate was beginning to understand. "So that is why you couldn't save your Aunt because she had served her purpose, and why you survived five years ago, because you haven't served your purpose?" he asked looking at her. Briar nodded watching him to see the fear and disbelief that she was used to. But it didn't come Tate just continued to stare at her and asked, "But why can't you just do what you need to unseen like the others?" Briar stared at him for several moments before saying in a quiet voice, "Because otherwise we would not be able to do the tasks we are sent to do." Tate stared confused. "My kind, in our natural forms only feel one emotion, love for our father. We exist to serve him and worship him. But then mankind was created and over time we developed a new feeling, jealousy. We could not understand why he loved man so much, when man was full of darkness. We could not understand why he sacrificed his son, a part of himself to save man. We could not understand why we are continuously sent to earth to help and attempt to save and help humans. So our father began sending us down to earth in human form. We are born, we grow, and we learn, we feel. We feel everything that you do, things we have never felt before. We are able to have families, grow old.." she said looking deeply into his eyes, " we fall in love, and we finally understand why our father loves you so much, and why he sacrifices so much, and why we must serve and protect. We fall in love with man just as our father did." She reached out and stroked the side of his face, "You are so beautiful." She said in an emotion filled voice.

"So we are sent here to serve, when we have fulfilled our destinies, our human bodies die and we return home in our human forms, but we retain our feelings and memories from earth. There we wait until our father has need of us again." Tate looked at her as if not sure whether to believe her or not "So why are you here, what is your purpose?" Briar looked down again, "I am here to save you, Tate, to save all of the souls in this house. You were not meant to be trapped here. You were not meant to suffer as you have. You have not been given up on. You still have a chance." She said watching him again. Now Tate was the one staring at the floor, "And what will happen once you have "saved" me?" "You will be sent home." She said a look of sadness on her face. "What will happen to you? Will you go home then as well?" he asked looking back up at her. "If my purpose here has been fulfilled yes, if not then I must stay." Tate looked forlorn at the floor, "So, you fulfill your purpose, and I disappear to somewhere else, and I never see you again?" Briar shook her head sadly, "Not necessarily." But Tate couldn't accept that, "No! I found you and now you're telling me some bullshit about you saving me, and I will disappear, never to see you again?IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE WITH ME THEN I WILL JUST GO AWAY AND DISAPPEAR!" Tate couldn't take it anymore he jumped up and ran out of the room and down the stairs furious. Briar stared after him with tears beginning to stream down her face. "What do I do now?" she asked sinking back down into the water.


	8. parted and bonded

Chapter 8

Three days later, Briar stood at the large mirror where she first met Tate. She was dressed in a long, flowing black dress that swept the ground. The long sleeves draped loosely down her arms before cuffing closely to her wrists. She had put her hair half up in a ponytail and then spiral curled the rest to hang gracefully down to the small of her back. She looked sadly at her reflection. Even though she was thankful to have human emotions, they could be very troublesome. Tate had not appeared since the day her aunt died. Closing her eyes, she sighed and turned to face the empty room. "Tate, I'm sorry I hurt you. That was the last thing I ever wanted to do. I'm not sure what my purpose in being here entails, or what will happen afterwards. I have never felt this way about any being before in my entire life. These feelings are strange, and ...frightening to me. ..," Briar paused uncertain of how to say what she wanted to say. Finally she just came out with it, "I love you Tate, more than anything, and though I am not sure what will happen, I want you to know that I will spend the rest of my life here on earth and wherever we end up afterward, loving you with every fiber of my being." When she finished she waited. The time that crawled by was excruciating, which was strange because she was normally a patient person. Suddenly, she heard a voice, and she looked about, hopeful. But her hopes were short lived as the voice was from her aunt, "Briar," she called from down stairs, "The car is here. We need to be going, don't forget your hat, dear, it looks like rain." Briar's head dropped and her shoulders slumped as she breathed a sigh. Slowly, she walked to the bed to grab her hat. Then she walked to the door taking one more look at the room before walking downstairs and out of the house.

Tate watched her leave from an upstairs window. He stood with his forehead pressed against the window, watching as she walked from the house with her aunt to the limousine that would take them to the funeral home. As he watched, he remembered the words she spoke in her bedroom to him. Those words had put knots in his stomach and made him want to run to her and not let her leave, ever. He regretted his words and actions from a few days before. He had punished himself by not allowing himself to be near her. But he was also hesitant, to believe what she said. He couldn't deny what he had seen in the basement, but he did not want to believe that she was there to send him to a place where he might not see her ever again. He had to admit that he was completely in love with her. He had only known her for a short while, but in that time, she had become his everything. He could no longer see his existence without her. Tate slammed his head against the window in frustration.

"Tate honey, are you ok?" his mother said walking into the room. "What do you want," he growled still staring out of the window. "I heard the little princess woke up, I came to see how you were?" she said cautiously approaching her son. "What you ever been truly in love?" he asked turning to look at her. Constance was caught off guard. "What do you mean?" she asked nervously. " I mean, have you ever truly loved someone before?" he asked leaning back against the window and staring at his mother with piercing black eyes. Constance was silent for several moments not knowing exactly how to answer the question. "Well, I guess once," she stammered looking down at the floor. "What did it feel like?" he asked taking a step towards her. Constance huffed, "What does this have to do with anything?" she demanded taking a step backwards. "I need to know!" he growled. Constance rolled her eyes, " It felt like my entire world revolved around him. I woke up every day thinking about him, and fell asleep every night to dream about him. There is that what you wanted to know?" she demanded as she crossed her arms and walked to a nearby window. "It is the most awful, horrible, terrifying feeling in the world. You feel as if that person is the sun and the moon, and if you are ever away from that person, you are in darkness. You do anything to keep that person." she murmured as tears came to her eyes, "And when you lose that person, it is as if you have lost half of your soul. You feel as if your entire world has fallen into darkness. All colors fade away, your life becomes meaningless. You become cold and unfeeling. After you lose that person you don't care about anything anymore," she continued, then she turned to look back at Tate, with tears streaming down her face, "unless you find something…or someone who reminds you of that person, and then you try to hold on to that one little thing no matter what it takes, what you have to sacrifice…" Tate stared at his mother in silence, finally understanding a bit more about the woman he always thought was evil. Constance sniffed and wiped her tears away before turning and walking out of the room. Tate returned to the window with his mother's words echoing in his head, "…You would do anything to keep that person…"

Briar and Audy stood over the casket in the cemetery, as a soft rain began to fall. They were the only ones to attend the funeral besides the priest. "You, know they say that when it rains the angels are crying." the priest said watching the two women stand and stare at the casket about to be lowered into the ground. Briar glanced at Kat who smiled back continuing to look at the grave, "Yes, they are crying tears of joy to receive their sister back into their arms, and the father is crying, as he receives his daughter again." she said lifting her head to look at the sky. The ceremony for the woman was short and simple. The priest having not known the woman, simply quoted a small sermon that he reserved for anyone he did not, stating how he hoped they lead a Godly life and found their way into Jesus' loving arms. Afterwards Briar and Audy stayed at the grave sending their own personal prayers to their father. "Are you ready to leave?" Audy asked turning towards Briar with her usual smile. Briar looked up noticing a small chapel on the edge of the giant cemetery. "No, I think I would like to go visit father for a bit, I need some time to think about everything, you know." she said turning to her aunt. Audy nodded, "of course, well you have your cell phone, call me when you are ready to come home." she said as she turned to walk back to the car.

Briar watched to make sure her aunt got safely to the car, before she turned and made her way across the graveyard towards the chapel. 'Graveyards are so peaceful,' she thought to herself as she walked. After a few moments she reached the small stone chapel. It was obviously very old, as the stones were well worn and the door weathered so that the red paint that once adorned it looked a dark burgundy color. Briar walked up and gently pulled on the door praying it wasn't locked. Slowly the door gave way permitting Briar entrance. The inside of the chapel was almost bare, except for a few old rotting pews. There were three colorful stained glass windows on either side of the chapel, and one great stained glace window at the back of the chapel portraying Christ's crucifixion. A few of the windows on the sides of the chapel were broken, allowing raindrops to fall inside on the wooden floor. Briar walked down the aisle to where the old alter still stood with a small wooden cross still stood, upon the raised platform. She stopped at the foot of the platform, and sat down upon the first step, and laid the rest of her body upon the other two steps leading up to the platform. Closing her eyes she began to pray.

When she opened her eyes she found herself in a misty version of the chapel. She sat up and looked around, "Father?" she called crawling to her feet. She looked down and saw that she was no longer in her mourning dress, but a beautiful long white gown. She turned and looked at her reflection in a pool of rain water that had gathered nearby on the floor from a leak in the roof. In the water she saw not Briar Rose, but her true form. Suddenly, she felt a presence in the chapel with her. "Father?" she called, her voice echoed as it did in the forest, bouncing off the walls of the chapel. " You have changed since last I saw you little one," a soothing voice called behind her. Briar's eyes widened as she turned. There before her stood the one who prepared her for her life upon the earth. The very first of those above who came to earth as a human child, the one who made the ultimate sacrifice. Tears began to come to her eyes as she ran forward to embrace him as she did her father. After a moment she pulled away, "How have I changed?" she asked with curious eyes. "You have fallen in love," he smiled looking down at her, "If I remember correctly, wasn't it you who told me that you would never in the whole of your entire existence love any being other than father. Briar blushed, and quickly became interested in the floor. " I guess, you were right, earth has a way of changing us," she whispered, looking up at him. He nodded and smiled again, "Why have you come, Charity?" he asked. He had always called her by her true name, or by the name that all of her kind and father called her, little one. Briar stared off at nothing attempting to gather her thoughts even though she knew that he already knew the answer to question he asked, he wanted her to speak the words. "I am...scared, I know that father picked me for this task for a reason, but I can't think, if I am truly the right one for this, I can't help but pray that ...if it is father's will, that this task be taken away from me and given another, more worthy." she said sitting down upon the steps. He slightly chuckled as he sat down beside her saying, "You know, I asked the same question. But as you said it is Father's will, and only he truly understands the meaning behind the things that happen. He never requests anything of us that we cannot handle, and the things he does requests of us are tasks that only we can handle. So him asking this of you, means that you are the only being that could do it." Briar sighed and nodded, knowing he was right. " It is time for me to go," he said wrapping an arm around her. Briar looked up at him, "please, don't," she begged, "stay a bit longer, I need you." He gently leaned in and gently kissed her forehead," I know, but there is something you must do now." he said as he began to fade away. "What?" she asked attempting to grab his hand but grabbed air. "Forgive," the voice echoed around the walls.

Briar felt a cool breeze engulf her as the scene faded away. Slowly she opened her eyes and sat up looking around. She was back in the chapel in its normal state. She was once again wearing her black dress, and when she looked in the pool of water, she saw that she had returned to her human form. She climbed to her feet and walked up the platform to the altar. There she found a small bouquet of white roses. Reaching out, she picked them up to study them. The sweet aroma from them engulfing her. "My grandmother's funeral was held here," the voice behind her said. Briar turned and saw a shadow standing in the doorway of the small chapel. Slowly the shadow walked forward revealing himself to be Tate. He walked down the aisle towards her saying, " I remember her coffin being right where you are standing." Briar looked down at the ground and then back up at him, "I am sorry," she whispered. Tate stopped for a moment at the foot of the stairs to watch her for a moment. Then he shook his head and walked up the steps. "Why are you apologizing?" he asked, " I'm the one who was a royal asshole." Briar turned her head away towards the stained glass window, "If I would have not said anything, you wouldn't have gotten angry," she began with tears welling up in her eyes. But Tate interrupted her, placing a finger on her lips, "no, I had no right to lose my temper. I wanted to know everything about you, and you tried to tell me, and I couldn't accept the thought that I may lose you after waiting my entire life, and even into my death to find you." Then Tate sank to his knees in front of her. " I ask for your forgiveness, please accept me." he said looking up to her with pleading eyes. Briar blinked suddenly understand what his departing words had meant. Slowly she too dropped to her knees and looked at him, "Of course, I give it to you freely...and I already have," she smiled.

Tate smiled as well taking hold of her hands and lacing his fingers through hers and bringing them up to his chest. He bent down and gently kissed her hands one after another and looked up at her. " Briar Rose, you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my sick and twisted existence. You have become my sunrise, my sunset, my moon, my stars, my world. I promise, here and now in front of God himself that with everything that I am I will love you, protect you, hold you forever. I promise to always be faithful and honest to you, to serve and obey you, and to give you everything that I am and have for all eternity." Briar's tears now ran freely as she listened to his words then she said in a quiet voice," Tate, you are the most amazing man I have ever met in my entire existence. You brought me to the light when I was lost in the darkness. You found me, when I was lost. You are my knight in shining armor. You stole my heart. I promise here and now before my father to love you, protect you, and hold you forever. I promise to be faithful, and honest to you, to serve and obey you, and give to you everything that I am and have for all eternity." Tate's own tears ran down his face as he listened to her words. When she finished, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two golden bands. He took her left hand, and gently slide the ring onto her finger. Briar then took the other and slid it onto his own ring finger. They stared deeply into one another's eyes before they wrapped their arms around one another and shared a passionate kiss sealing their bond. Tate then jumped to his feet and scooped her up into his arms. Briar couldn't help but squeal with laughter as he carried her back down the aisle and out into the beautiful setting sun.


	9. a short time of happiness

Chapter 9

Tate carried Briar over the threshold of the house and into the foyer where Audy was waiting on them. The elder lady had tears in her eyes and the biggest smile that Briar had seen in many years. As soon as Tate set Briar down she was wrapped up into her aunts arms. "Congratulations!," she cried squeezing her niece with a force that very well might have broken a normal person in half. "You know your aunt and I were afraid that father would return to earth before you ever gave your heart to another." she smiled spinning Briar in a circle. Briar had to laugh at her aunts comment not sure whether to be insulted or not, "Well, I guess it was just a matter of finding the right person," she grinned looking over her aunts shoulder to smile at Tate. "Well, either way we need to celebrate," Audy gushed before calling to the kitchen, "Miss Moira? Will you come here for a moment please?" Moira walked in from the kitchen still holding the silver knife she had been shining. "Yes Madam?" she asked looking curiously at the trio. "We are going to have a feast. I am going run to the market and then you and I are going to prepare the greatest meal any of us have ever had. " Audy exclaimed clapping her hands and swinging them into the air. Moira looked confused, "What are we celebrating Madam? Did you not just return from your sisters funeral?" Briar and Tate looked at one another and then at Audy's who's smile disappeared momentarily. "Yes, my sister will be missed, but she would not want us to be mourning over her, especially when there is such happy news to celebrate." Audy said quietly as her smile returned. Moira nodded not really understanding, "Well, what is it we are celebrating, Madam?" she asked. "Love, Miss Moira, True love, and goodness winning out over evil." Audy said turning to look at Tate and Briar.

Later as Audy ran to the market, Tate and Briar went up to their bedroom. Again Tate swept Briar up into his arms and carried her into the room and gently set her on the bed. He then swung his legs up onto the bed and slowly lowered his body onto hers. Briar wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close as she pressed her lips to his. Tate leaned into her deepening the kiss until both were panting. Then slowly he sat up and pulled off his shirt. Briar was in awe of his muscular body. She had only seen such muscle and tone on those of her own kind, and even then she had never really cared. But with Tate, her breath was taken away. Briar sat up and allowed him to help her pull her dress over her head, before he laid her down again covering her body with his and kissed her again. Briar was surprised to find his skin was warm and soft. Soon she allowed him to sweep her away into the throws of passion, until he pulled away to look into her eyes. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked in a husky voice. Briar paused for a moment, not sure. She had always heard about it and thought it a disgusting part of the human experience that she never wanted to partake in. But with him, things were different, she was different, and she wanted him. "Yes, I am sure. I love you,." she whispered smiling up at him. Tate smiled and kissed her again. Then he lifted himself above her. Briar closed her eyes and braced for what was to come.

Later Briar Lay in Tate's arms with her eyes closed attempting to regain control over her racing heartbeat. That had been one of the most intensely amazing experiences of her life. Tate watched her quietly before whispering, "you are so beautiful." Briar opened her eyes and smiled at him, "I love you," she whispered leaning up to kiss his lips. Tate smiled feeling his lips tingle at her touch. He had never experienced anything so wonderful in his entire existence, even when he was alive or when he was with Violet. Briar laid her head on his chest and was soon asleep. Tate watched her for several minutes wondering how he could be so lucky. Then he too closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off into sleep. One of the spirits of the house slipped unseen into the room where Tate and Briar lay sleeping in one another's arms. Hayden had been the mistress of the former owner of the house Ben Harmon. She had been killed after coming to California to try to force him to leave his wife to be the father to her unborn child. Unlike the other ghosts of the house, she loved the power given to her by the house. She had used her powers of persuasion and manipulation to get Vivian, Ben's wife put into a mental hospital. She had been listening and watching the newcomers from a distance, and did not like what she heard. They were here to threaten her position in the house, and to take away the gifts the house had given her. Yes, at first she had believed herself to be trapped. But now she saw her existence as a spirit and agent of the house as amazing and wonderfully satisfying. She stood in the shadows and glared at the happy couple for what seemed like hours. 'It seems that someone is forgetting his place.' she thought to herself. Tate had changed since this girl had come into the house. He had forgotten what they wanted to do, what was his job to do. She could feel the power of the house within her. She could feel its life force pulsing in anger that its best agent was being pulled away. 'It seems we will have to remind him of who he really is, and who his loyalties lie with,' she sneered as she backed away into the darkness and disappeared.

For three weeks, Briar and Tate lived in bliss together. The house seemed to go quiet during that time, none of the spirits other than Moira and Tate were seen throughout the house. Not even Constance entered the house after hearing of what had happened between her son and the girl. She cried herself to sleep at night from the sadness of knowing she had finally lost her son to another. Moira was happier than she had been in a long time. Even though she was still trapped in the house, she felt something coming. She had a feeling that soon, she would finally have her freedom from the hell she had been forced to exist in for years. Audy spent most of her time in the garden, working and praying. She thanked the father for giving Briar this time of happiness. She knew what was about to occur, for she had been told to prepare. She could no longer look at Briar without tears forming in her eyes. Several times she pleaded with the father to spare her niece what was to come. But she knew that what would happen, must happen. She lifted her head to see her niece sitting peacefully beneath a large oak tree reading a book of poetry. She looked so serene, so happy. She looked as if she had just stepped out from a story book. Audy felt a presence watching them and looked up towards the house to see Tate staring at Briar from an upstairs bedroom. She had never seen anyone so in love before. She smiled for a moment before that smile disappeared, and she returned sadly to her work. Tate watched Briar as she sat beneath the large oak reading the book of poetry he had given her. He had never been happier in his entire life before. He had always felt anger, and darkness within him. But now he felt a happiness he didn't think could exist, not for him. "Well, well. It looks like little Tate is finally a big boy." a voice behind him sneered. Tate turned to see Hayden standing in the doorway glaring at him. "What do you want?" he growled glaring back. Hayden smiled and walked forward to stand beside him. "It looks like you finally found your little princess, and now you are going to live your happily ever after." she said looking down at the girl under the tree in disgust. "You know it will never last. I mean, she is alive, and ...what she is," she said turning to him, "and you are dead." Tate felt his anger rising. He had always hated this filthy evil bitch. "You stay away from her, Hayden, and leave me the hell alone. I want nothing more to do with you or this house." he snarled. Hayden began to laugh, "Do you believe that you would be able to be with her if it weren't for this house?" she said raising her eye brows. "This house gives you the power to manifest as a human to be with that little witch, and ironically enough she is here to destroy that." Tate turned to look down at Briar again. Hayden leaned in, "If it weren't for this house do you honestly believe that she would be with you. You say that you love her, yet you are going to allow her to destroy what you two have. You will disappear, never to see her again, and she will move on and screw someone else, that is if she isn't already. " Tate turned back to Hayden grabbing her by the throat, "Don't you dare talk about her like that, she would never do that. She loves me and she is twice the woman you will ever be." he growled. Hayden felt her anger nearly explode at the insult, but she knew she needed to remain cool if she wanted to get what the house wanted. "So are you willing to give her up then?"she asked reaching up to pull away his fingers from her throat. "Think about it Tate, you want to be with her forever, yet that can only happen if you both stay here. She has the power to destroy everything, yet she says that she loves you and wants to be with you. So there is only one thing for you to do." she reasoned. Tate whipped away from her, "I will not do that to her. I can't, I love her" he said turning to look out the window again. "If she truly loved you she wouldn't want to destroy everything this house has built that allows you to be with her. If she truly wanted to be with you forever, she would want you to do it." Hayden said retreating to the darkness. Tate continued to stare out the window at Briar.

The next night Briar wandered down the stairs to find her aunt at the door with her bags packed. "Aunt Audy, Where are you going?" she asked. Her aunt came forward and embraced her niece, "Oh my child I have been called to a place where there is much suffering. They need me." she said pulling away from her niece. Briar's concern was plain on her face as she looked into her aunts eyes. "Please don't go, "she begged, "I am worried about Tate, I haven't seen him since yesterday." Audy smiled down at her niece, "I am sure he will be just fine, he is probably just hiding somewhere or something. I will return, but you know how these things are." she said in a gentle voice. Briar smiled back up to her aunt, relieved."Alright then," Audy said turning to grab her bags and open the door, "I will be back in a few days." she said as she left. As she walked down the steps and away from the house she stopped and turned with tears running down her face, "May father be with you my child." she whispered before turning again and disappeared into the darkness. Briar stood for several minutes watching the door where her aunt left. Then she turned and wandered back up to her room. "Tate," she called as she walked down the hall towards her room. She was really worried. Tate had seemed different yesterday when she saw him last. She couldn't place her finger on exactly what, but it seemed as if something was bothering him. She entered her room and looked around, he was nowhere to be found. She sighed and walked to their bed to sit down. Then she saw something move in the shadows out of the corner of her eye. Standing up she walked over to the window where she thought she saw something. "Tate?" she called again looking out of the window. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see a figure in a dark black suit standing behind her. Briar's scream echoed through the halls of the house.


	10. Betrayed with a kiss

Chapter 10

Briar screamed as the rubber man grabbed her and threw her across the room onto the bed. She rolled off the other side of the bed to get away from him as he attempted to tackle her. "WHO ARE YOU?," she screamed backing up against the wall in terror. The dark figure jumped back off the and slowly walked towards her. "TATE!" she screamed calling for her love. The rubber man was closing in. Briar closed her eyes and breathed deeply as a light blue sphere of energy formed around her. The dark figure stopped inches from the sphere and tilted its head looking at the barrier between it and its prey. The figure raised a hand and attempted to reach towards her through the sphere. The atmosphere between his hand and the sphere began to crackle as if about to shock. Slowly the figure pulled back and reached up to unzip the back of the mask. A moment later, Briar heard a familiar voice calling her name. She opened her eyes and saw Tate standing on the other side of the sphere staring at her. She did not even hesitate before instantly dispelling the sphere and throwing herself into his arms. "oh thank goodness you're here. That man was back and he….." Briar suddenly stopped as she realized he hadn't wrapped his arms around her. Then she noticed, something else. His clothing felt strange against her skin, almost like rubber. Slowly Briar pulled back looking down at his body which was covered in a dark black rubber suit. Then she took a step backwards pulling away from him as her gaze wandered up to meet his. He looked strange, not like himself. He looked pale, and his eyes looked black, almost lifeless. He looked at her with a steely gaze, almost as if he was a doll. "Tate,?" she asked backing father away from him until she felt the wall hit her back.

Suddenly Briar heard the sound of someone clapping. "Bravo, Bravo Tate," Hayden said stepping out of the shadows. "Who are you?" Briar asked looking over Tate's shoulder at the strange woman. "Awe, didn't Tate tell you about me?" she asked coming up to stand slightly behind Tate. Briar looked down and quickly thought through the spirits of the house that Tate had told her about. "Hayden?" she asked bringing her eyes back up to the woman. "Good job!" Hayden said smiling ," Now Tate you know what you need to do." she said leaning in to whisper in Tate's ear. Briar now focused on Tate, "Do what?" she asked. "Oh, what he needs to do if he truly wants to be with you, and you with him?" she smiled gleefully. Briar thought for a moment trying to understand. Then her eyes widened in realization. "You-You can't! Tate please!" she cried looking up at Tate with pleading eyes. "Oh but he can, he must if he wants to keep you, and if you truly loved him, as you say you do it." Hayden said wrapping an arm around Tate's shoulder. Briar continued to look at Tate with tears well up into her eyes. "Tate, you know, You know why I can't. I have a destiny, I came here for you…I love you I want to be with you but my father.." "But nothing, if you truly love Tate as we do you would be willing to sacrifice anything to be with him. We gave Tate the power to be with you, even after death. WE LOVE HIM. You say you love him but you are wanting to take that away from him, some love that is." Hayden sneered. Briar leaned helplessly against the wall, "Please," she begged looking up into Tate's empty eyes, "Please" Tate finally looked at her as if he were actually seeing her and said in a dead pan voice, "I won't loose you." Hayden was becoming impatient. "It's time Tate, but she is too powerful, you have to give her to the house, or she won't become one of us." she said looking at Tate. Briar looked from Hayden to Tate. " You…You promised…to protect me.." she whispered weakly cutting her eyes up to him. Tate took a step forward until he was inches from her and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "You promised to love me forever, I will not lose you. I am doing this because I love you," he whispered. Briar closed her eyes and let a small sob escape her lips. "Come on Tate, you're wasting time, her aunt may be back any second." Hayden sneered. Briar sucked in a breath and opened her eyes to stare up at him, "Yes, Tate, do what you have to do." she said her cold words stinging him. Tate hesitated for a moment before leaning in to gently kiss her lips. Briar suddenly gasped as she felt her lips begin to tingle. The tingling sensation began to spread out through her body. Her breath began to leave her. Slowly, she began to get dizzy and started to sink to the ground. "How ironic," she thought to herself as everything went black. Like her father before her, she was betrayed by someone she loved….with a kiss.

Tate caught Briar's limp body before she hit the ground and lifted her into his arms to carry her to bed. He gently laid her down, and looked at her before becoming overwhelmed with emotion and collapsing over her sobbing. Suddenly he reared back and screamed, "BRIAR!" before crawling onto the bed and wrapping her into his arms. Hayden became annoyed, "Oh, will you stop that already! Your giving me a migraine with your bleeding heart. Soon you will have your true love forever" she said walking around to the other side of the bed. Then she got an idea and cut her eyes back towards him. "Wanna fool around a bit before she becomes one of us? It could be hot, fucking over her body." she asked crawling onto the bed towards him. Tate looked up at her with a murderous glare. Then an evil smile appeared on his face as he laid Briar down and stood up walking around the bed towards Hayden. She smiled spreading her body out for him. "I knew you would come around sooner or later. You are a bad boy Tate, and a bad boy needs a bad girl, not some good goody little bitch." she said as he leaned in over her. Suddenly he grabbed her and lifted her up above his head. Hayden screamed and struggled to get out of his vice grip. Spinning around he suddenly threw her across the room and against the giant wardrobe. Her back snapped against the edge and she fell to the ground motionless. Tate glared at her for several minutes until she suddenly coughed and sat up, "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!" she demanded furiously getting to her feet. "Get the fuck out of here." he growled with a furious voice, "I never want to see you again. You stay the hell away from her and you stay the hell away from Briar or so help me I'll," "You'll do what! What will you do? I'm dead idiot!" Hayden roared. "And soon you're little girlfriend will be too." Tate continued to glare at her, "She is my wife, and unlike those other assholes, I don't cheat on my wife with whores like you." he sneered. Hayden roared in anger before stomping to the door. Then she stopped and turned around to look at him with an evil smile on her face, "Well, you might want to get used to it. In case you didn't realize, you just betrayed her by handing her over to us. I wouldn't be surprised if she comes back hating you for the rest of your stay here, and wouldn't that just be awful. You sacrifice the woman you love to keep her, and she comes back despising you for the rest of eternity. That is so sad I could just cry." Hayden then made fake sobbing noises that quickly turned into laughter as she walked out of the room. Tate felt her words beat him like a truck, as he turned around to look at his love on the bed. "Oh God, what have I done," he whispered

Briar opened her eyes to find herself in darkness. Everywhere she looked there was black. But the smell, was familiar. It smelled like the basement of the house, musty. Suddenly a light came from some unknown source. It dimly lite her surroundings so she could see where she was. The walls were made of the same wood and brick as the basement. But the room was different. The ceiling was high, so high she could not see the top, and there were no doors around her. There was nothing on the walls but spiders and cob webs. Briar climbed to her feet. She looked down as she noticed her clothing felt heavier than before. Suddenly she noticed she was no longer wearing her light pink night gown. She was not in her human form. Instead she was in her true form, and not just in her true form. She saw that she wore her battle armor. A heavy white adorned breast plate stretched across her chest. It's intricate designs glowing yellow. She now wore, golden metal shoulder plates, and arm plates and bracers that glowed in the darkness. The golden leg plates that stretched down her legs and into her white boots were covered by a shimmering white cloth that wrapped around her hips like a loincloth flowing to the ground in the front and back and held together by a golden belt. At her side hung her glowing silver sword given to her by the father himself. She felt her large white glowing wings stretch out behind her. It felt so good to feel them again. Then her eyes shot up to look around. It had been a long time since she had worn this armor. The last time she had worn it was during the battle with Lucifer himself. She knew this armor would only appear in the presence of evil itself. "Who is there?" she asked, straining to see into the darkness. "Welcome, Archeia Charity. It is such a pleasure to have you in my home." a spine chilling voice came the darkness. The voice sounded like many evil voices within one. The sound echoed off the walls multiplying the voices around her. "I never thought to find the Archeia of love and adoration in my humble abode. I can understand why Tate fell in love with you. I can feel your power. You are such a magnificent creature!" the voice exclaimed. Briar felt shivers run down her spine. She spun around looking into the darkness. "Show yourself," she demanded. "Very well," the voice chimed in a sickly sweet voice, "How could I refuse such a beautiful creature." Briar saw something move out of the corner of her eye. She spun again to face whatever was in the darkness. Suddenly her eyes widened as a figure stepped from the darkness. Briar suddenly found herself staring at her human form. She gasped looking at herself as her human form had been altered. Where her hair was almost solid white, the figure she stared at now, had solid black hair. In her natural form her eyes glowed an unearthly blue and had no whites in their eyes. In her human form she had one green eye and one blue eye. But the creature before her, had solid black eyes. They looked like shark eyes completely filled with black ink showing no whites. Briar was taken aback for a moment, "Who are you?" she asked the creature. It smiled showing two lines of pointed jagged teeth, "Why, don't you recognize me, Archeia?" the voice asked. Briar glared at it, "State your name." she demanded. The creature continued to smile at her, "Join me Charity, I can give you anything. I can give you Tate, if you will only serve me, let me use your power, I will not kill you I will make you a Goddess on this world." Briar just continued to stare at the creature with a dead pan look, "Tell me, your name." The creature continued, " Do you not love Tate? Don't you want to be with him?" Briar's eyes twitched at the mention of his name. This did not go unseen by the creature who's smile became even bigger. "Ahh, I see, he betrayed you didn't he. The man you love, betrayed you, handed you over to us as a sacrificial lamb. He deserves to be punished." Briar's gaze lowered to the floor as she remembered the look on Tate's face, and his words. The creature disappeared from in front of her. "I can punish him for you." Tears began to run down her face, as her anger grew. "Yes, that's it, give into your anger. You deserve to be angry. You gave him your heart and he threw it away." the creature cooed coming out of the darkness only inches behind her so that it whispered into her ear. Briar closed her eyes and covered her hands with her face, as a small sob escaped her mouth. The creature smiled, reaching out to feed off of her power. It felt like mother's milk to the creature, it had never felt so powerful feeding off of anyone's sorrow and hatred than the archeia in front of it. 'Let's see what we can do with a taste of her power.' it thought with a smile sinking back into the darkness.

Tate laid on the bed holding Briar's limp hand. He had never felt so miserable in his entire life. He had always felt alone as if he were teetering on the edge of darkness. But all of that changed when she came into his life. Now he had betrayed her, she would hate him forever. She had forgiven him once. But how could she forgive him now, he thought miserably. He would suffer for the rest of eternity now. She would come back as a spirit and despise him. "Tate?" Briar's voice whispered gently from the other side of the room. Tate instantly sat up looking in the direction the voice had come from. Slowly, he stood up and walked towards the window. "Briar?" he called. No voice came in return. It must be done now, he thought. "Briar please forgive me. I only did it because I love you." he begged looking around the room before returning his gaze to the window. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Smiling, he turned around, but his smile instantly vanished. Standing before him was Briar, smiling at him, and wearing a black rubber suit.

Author's note

WOW INTENSITY! Any who few notes about this chapter

1) Can anyone tell I hate Hayden? lol

2) In case anyone doesn't know an Archeia is a female archangel ^.^

I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far things are about to get INTENSE! please review You all are fabulous!


	11. Charity's sacrifice

Chapter 11

Tate stared at his beloved for a moment before whispering, "Briar?" She somehow looked different. She stood there smiling for a moment before tilting her head and grabbing him by the throat and squeezed. Tate screamed because it felt as if her hands were red hot. He thought his head was going to come off. Suddenly she lifted him with ease over her head and threw him against the opposite wall. Tate crumpled to the floor coughing. He was in shock he couldn't believe he could still feel pain like that. He got to his hands and knees. Then he heard her footsteps coming towards him. Dead thudding footsteps that sounded more like the nails in a coffin. The footsteps stopped, and the room went deadly quiet. Tate slowly turned to look at Briar and gasped, she was changing. Her eyes which were once blue and green looked as if someone were slowly pouring black ink into them. "Who are you? Where is Briar?" he demanded. The Briar before him tilted her head again and said in a sickly sweet voice that sounded almost like there were two voices one of which didn't belong to Briar, "Don't you recognize me Tate? I am the one who loves you, and because I love you, I am going to punish you." Tate felt his breath fail. "You see Tate, you hurt her very badly. You betrayed her by sacrificing her to me, but you gave me one of the greatest gifts I have ever received, her power. By betraying her you took away the shield protecting her, and with the pain you caused her, gave me access to her unlimited power." Briar said looking down at him," Even now I am gaining more and more of her power, and once our little battle ends, she will have fallen, and I will have complete control of her and her power." Briar turned and walked away from him with a triumphant look on her face, "Oh this will be a wonderful day. She will be my greatest agent, my greatest asset, my bride. I will be able to spread my evil and pain throughout Los Angeles and beyond, with her" Then Briar turned back to him, "Though being my greatest asset I will need to keep her happy, which means that you will have to be destroyed, as a gift to my new bride. But that isn't even the best part; you see by destroying you with her body, she will feel and carry the guilt, anguish and hate of you for eternity, which will only be fuel to our fire." Tate stared up at her in shock and whispered, "But I am already dead, How can you kill me again," Briar suddenly laughed a horrifying laugh, that seemed to almost shake the room. "Trust me my dear boy; there are worse things than death. I have suffered your insolence long enough; it is time you paid the piper." Briar growled walking towards him.

Charity sank to the ground with her hands over her face sobbing. "Yes, that's right," the creature cooed leaning over her, "Let it out, release your anger." Charity suddenly cried out, "HE PROMISED...HE PROMISE ME..." she sobbed allowing her anger to take over. Her body seemed to visibly pulse from the anger she felt as she slammed her fists against into the cement floor. Her vision was quickly becoming red. " I LOVED HIM AND HE BETRAYED ME! I HATE THIS WORLD! I HATE HUMANS! I HATE...!" "YES! THAT'S IT RELEASE YOUR RAGE!" the creature cried in pure joy dancing around and laughing manically. But Charity barely heard it, as her despair quickly overtook her. Suddenly something white beside her caught her eye. She turned her head and saw a withered grey feather laying beside her. Slowly she reached out and picked it up. Then another bit of white caught her eye from her other side. She turned her head and saw another shining white feather hit the ground and turn withered and grey. She contracted her muscles pulling her wings forward over her shoulders. Tears began to flow anew from her eyes as she saw her beautiful glowing white downy feathers begin to fall from her wings like snow drifting to the ground and turning grey and withered like char. "I'm falling," she whispered pulling her wings back behind her shoulders and letting them sink limply to the ground. Slowly she allowed her head to fall backwards so she was looking towards the sky and whispered, "Father, why have you forsaken me?"

She suddenly collapsed face down on the floor and closed her eyes. She could feel her body growing cold. She slightly opened her eyes and saw her wings beginning to turn grey on her body. Suddenly a vision appeared in her mind from the past. She had been sent to earth for the first time as an unseen since the great war. Upon arriving she saw the earth was overrun with hatred and war. She saw innocent children being taken from their families and used as soldiers or objects of lust, being forced to kill their own brothers and sisters and sold to people who tore their little bodies. She saw mothers and fathers beating and killing one another, and their children. She saw people claiming to be worshipers of her father do horrible things to themselves and others. She had returned from earth in tears of anger and jealousy never wanting to return. She had run to her father asking, "Why do you love them so. They are evil, they do not know love, and goodness Many of them deny your very existence!" Her father had smiled and wrapped his arm around her. "I love them just as I love you. I created them in my image, giving them emotions and free will. You do not understand this, you were not born with it." he said watching as she breathed angrily." You must are lost. They were betrayed and became lost in a place of evil. They need to understand that I am always with them, and I love them. Many of them believe they are alone in a place of darkness. They believe that there is no one there for them, that they must walk through this darkness alone. You will understand this someday my child, and at that time, you must remember that I am always with you. I will carry you through your darkest time. You must not give up. You are my warrior, my champion, you are the essence of love, Charity." It was strange, Charity could almost hear her father's voice, then she realized that she could hear a voice speaking to her. " Charity, get up. You must get up. Use the tools I have given you. You must get up face your destiny NOW GET UP!"

Charity began to struggle to get to her feet as she heard his words. The creature felt a change in the environment, and stopped its celebration. Suddenly, a strange light appeared behind it and began to grow until it was almost blinding. Slowly the creature turned around to find Charity standing behind it. She looked furious . Her eyes glowed with a bright bluish fire. Her wings glowed with the purest white, and spread out almost the length of the room. A bright white sphere of energy glowed and pulsed around her. She glared at the creature and pulled her sword now red with heat and fire from its sheath. She pointed the sword at the creature and said in a loud powerful voice. "Speak your name demon." The creature was caught off guard by the archeia before him. Slowly he backed away against the wall attempting to retreat into the shadows. "TELL ME WHO YOU ARE!" She said her voice rising in anger, causing the light to shine brighter. The creature rushed to one side of her and bolted to the opposite wall. But Charity was instantly in front it with her sword to its throat, the flame searing its flesh. The creature screamed in pain, "NO PLEASE!" But Charity continued to press the red hot metal into its skin, and said in a deadly calm quiet voice, "In the name of my father, the one true king of kings tell me your name." The creature began screaming and thrashing about in anger. "I am the fallen," it cried, "I am the serpent, the spirit of Cain, the bearer of light, the bringer of darkness, the tempter,. I AM SATAN!"

Tate was thrown across the bed and into Briar's dresser. Pain seared through him like a red hot poker. The dark Briar walked towards him with an evil smile on her face, her eyes completely dark black. Now her teeth began to grow into jagged points. She looked positively demonic. "What have you done with Briar?" he demanded. The dark Briar turned towards the mirror where Tate had first seen the love of his life. An image appeared of Briar on the floor of a dark room. Tate was temporarily stunned by how she had changed. She wore a white and gold armor that he had never seen before. But it was her giant wings that made him gasp in awe, completely forgetting about the dark Briar for a moment. The angel Briar suddenly screamed out, her voice echoing around the bedroom. "HE PROMISED ME...HE PROMISED ME... I LOVED HIM AND HE BETRAYED ME..." Every word she said was like a knife to Tate's heart. The dark Briar turned with an evil smile enjoying every moment of his suffering. Again Tate found himself flying through the air as the dark Briar threw him around like a rag doll again and again. At one moment Tate landed in front of the mirror where he saw the angel Briar face down on the ground. He saw that her wings were slowly turning grey. "Briar Get up, GET UP BRIAR PLEASE, YOU MUST GET UP!" he screamed at the mirror. She began to move and struggle to get to her feet. Tate felt a searing hand at his throat as the dark Briar picked him up off the ground and slammed him against the wall holding him in the air. Suddenly Tate screamed as he felt a burning sensation on his throat. "NO PLEASE!" he screamed in anguish. But the sensation grew until he could no longer speak, and simply begged to disappear. Then the dark Briar dropped him and backed away thrashing and screaming in a language he didn't understand. At that moment a dark sphere of energy appeared around the dark Briar, and she lunged towards him. Tate just managed to dodge the sphere as the Dark Briar slammed against the wall.

Charity suddenly lunged at the demon with her sword in an attempt to run it through the demon's heart. But at the last moment the demon dodged and she slammed into the wall. She turned and lunged at the demon again this time stabbing it in the shoulder. The demon screamed in agony. But its voice had changed, it sounded somewhat familiar. Then something caught Charity's eye. She looked and saw a mirror like the one in her room. The demon was cowering against the opposite wall holding its shoulder. So she walked towards the mirror which showed her room. As she walked up to the mirror she found herself face to face with another demonic image of herself, surrounded by a black sphere of energy and wearing a black rubber suit. She looked past the image of herself towards the opposite wall and screamed. There was Tate cowering against the wall grabbing his shoulder which bled profusely. Charity turned around to look at the demon which was in the exact same position. "No," she whispered. "So now you see," the demon said getting up and releasing its shoulder. Charity turned again to look at the mirror, but it had disappeared. "You are such a magnificent creature, Charity. Join me and I will make you a queen of this world. " the creature said its voice still mimicking Tate's voice. "What are you doing to him?" she asked in a quiet voice. "I am destroying him for you. He does not deserve you. He betrayed you. It is in his nature. All of the spirits in this house belong to me. They are evil and deserve nothing less than the torment they are getting. They were nothing but energy for me to feed off. But I won't need them if you will join me. They will be destroyed and disappear." Charity looked down remembering her short time with Tate. Then she thought to herself 'But Father has not given up on them. They deserve a second chance, they all deserve a second chance.' Suddenly Charity heard a word whispered in her head. The last word she heard from her heavenly father. The thing she must do,. "Forgive," she whispered. The demon looked confused, "What?" Briar looked up at the demon and smiled, "You are right, You don't need them. Take me." she said smiling an evil smile as she walked forward spreading out her arms. The demon smiled" That's my girl, You will be the queen of this world in my regime." he said as Briar walked towards him. "All you have to do is drive your sword through him, and you will be mine. Take your revenge for his betrayal." the demon said as the scene around her began to fade.

Suddenly Charity found herself back in her own room, in her own body. She was still in her armor, and felt her wings on her back, but around her she saw a sphere of black energy that was slowly growing. She looked down and saw Tate cowering against the wall. She walked forward and lifted her sword. He had curled up into a ball, hiding his face from her. " Tate?" she called. Tate flinched at the noise and slowly raised his head. He was shocked to see the angel Briar in front of him with her sword raised. Tears streamed down his face, "I'm sorry." he whispered. Charity stared at him for a moment before swinging the sword down and dropping it to the ground. "I forgive you," she whispered back. Suddenly, a light appeared at Charity's chest. Then a loud scream ripped through the house. Tate looked stunned as Charity was lifted into the air by some unknown force. the sphere began to spin around her. Her arms and legs stretched out around her as she floated in the center of the black sphere. She screamed in agony as she began to absorb the black energy into her body. The energy she was taking into her body, was the energy from the house. Every evil thing, every bit of pain ever experienced or caused by the house was taken into Charity. She felt the pain of the shots that killed Tate, and his victims and the first couple of the house. She felt the burns experienced by Larry's families , and the painful deaths of the couple Chad and Patrick. Tate watched in horror as Charity began to bleed from her chest and other parts of her body. Burns appeared on her skin, as she continued to scream and the dark sphere absorb into her body. As the dark energy continued to disappear into her body, Charities wounds became even more severe. At one point Tate watched as her wings were ripped from her body. Her scalp ripped from her head. Tate attempted to get to his feet to get her, but he could not get to his feet. The pain in his throat and shoulder quickly disappeared. He raised he head and saw those same wounds appear on Charity's body. "BRIAR!" he screamed. The house began to shake. Tate could no longer recognize any specific features of Charities face or body, as she was torn to pieces and covered in her own blood. The energy finally completely disappeared into her body, and a great explosion ripped through the house. Tate had one finale glimpse of Charity's limp body falling to the ground, as his world went dark.


	12. Here on earth and in heaven above

The house still smoldered in a pile of stone and ash as a young woman stood in front of the rubble facing the news camera. "It seems the house made famous by the deaths of more than ten people has finally claimed it's last life. Last night around midnight, a gas line ruptured causing a major explosion which destroyed the house , and killed twenty one year old Briar Rose Noel, who was in the house at the time of the explosion. Briar Rose lived in the house with her aunt Audrianna Noel, who had gone to provide relief at a homeless shelter for the night. Audrianna could not be found for comment but I am here with Constance Langdon who has lived next door to the famous house for over ten years now Constance can you tell us what you remembered happening last night?" the reporter asked turning the mike to face the elderly woman. Constance walked in view of the camera with tears streaming down her face. "Yes, around twelve, I was woken up by a loud noise. I ran outside and saw the house crumbling to the ground in flames." she said having to cover her mouth to hid the sob., "I'm sorry," she said after taking a moment to compose herself, "Its just, I used to live in that house with my son. This is such a sad….time…that poor girl…my…" Constance finally broke down into tears and quickly walked back to her house slamming the door behind her. The reporter turned back to the camera, " The fire department and clean up crew has been working since early hours in the morning, after the fire department put out the flames, to clear the rubble. Around six a.m. they finally found Briar Rose's body. But what makes this story even stranger, is that Briar Rose's body was not the only body found in the rubble. Underneath a gazebo that was destroyed when the house collapse, clean up crews found several human remains. At this point investigators have not made a statement about who the identification of the other bodies, or of what could have caused the pipe to rupture. But it seems that the reign of the famous murder house has finally ended. It is a tragedy that in the wake it the house's demise, another innocent life was taken."

Tate slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He along with the other spirits of the house stood in the middle of the street in front of the house. But something was out of place about their surroundings. They were surrounded by a wall of fog. They could see the house behind them. But Tate's mothers house was concealed behind the low hanging cloud. He could not see across or down the street. The other spirits looked as confused as Tate was. "What happened," Hayden asked looking up at her beloved house. "You are free," a strange voice called. Tate and the others turned away from the house to the opposite side of the street where they saw several figures now walking from the mist. The strange group was made up of both men and women, all dressed in strange white clothing. At the head of the group was a faintly familiar figure. "Hello, again Tate," the woman smiled at him as she walked towards the group. She looked like a model who had just stepped off of a magazine cover. She had beautiful light sun kissed skin, and long shining golden hair that fell down her back almost to her hips. But it was her eyes that caught his attention. She had bright glowing green eyes, that seemed so familiar to him. "Who are you?" he asked looking at her in awe. The woman laughed as she came to a stop a few feet away from him, her voice sounded like a bell. "I guess I do look a bit different." she said smiling as the group gathered around her. Then it hit him, "Kat?" he asked. The woman smiled again and nodded, "Yes, she smiled looking him up and down. "I can tell you have had a hard night." she said her smile disappearing. "Ummm excuse me," Hayden said pushing her way to the front of the group where Kat and Tate stood, "What the hell do you mean we are free. What the hell is going on?" she demanded glaring at the woman before her. Kat looked at the girl with obvious distaste and said "You were freed from the house. You were brought here to make a choice. That house was a place of evil. The crimes committed there over the years built on top of one another until there was such a concentration of evil, that it opened a gateway, through which a principality past through and possessed the house. The principality was feeding off of your energy, hatred, and sorrow. It was using you to grow stronger, and to steal the souls of others. Briar Rose freed you. She offered herself to the principality in place of you. She took all of your sins, pains, hatred, everything evil that was caused by the house onto herself. As a result the gateway was destroyed, the principality locked back into hell, and your spirits released." The spirits looked around at one another trying to understand Kat's words.

Hayden was becoming annoyed,"Then what are we doing here? What are you doing here? Who are all of these people?" Hayden asked looking past Kat towards the others. "As I said before, you were brought here to make a choice. Many of you were innocent victims of the house, while others of you where unknowingly possessed by the house to do works of evil to feed the principality. Therefore Father will not those sins against you. He has given you all a choice, a second chance if you will. You can choose to come with us, or return to the house. But be warned, the choice you make, will final for the rest of eternity. The house will not be in the same state that you return to, and if you choose to come with us, your existence will drastically change, you will go through trials, and tribulations, the journey will be difficult." Hayden rolled her eyes at the woman before her. "Whatever," she said turning to walk towards the house. She stopped at the gate and turned back towards the group. "Come on you guys." she said looking at her companions. "You aren't seriously going to listen to this chick are you? Yes we have suffered in this house, but it has also given us power. We can do whatever the hell we want to anyone. If we go with her god knows what will happen to us! But this house is our home, it gives us freedom. We are famous in this house. When we were alive we were pushed around, outcasts, manipulated and thrown away. But in this house we are the ones with the power!" she reasoned looking at each of the occupants of the house. The three murder re-enactors looked at one another and walked to stand with Hayden. Dr. Montgomery started to walk towards her as well, but was stopped by his wife, who grabbed his arm, "Please, don't go back into that house. That isn't our house anymore, please don't go." she begged looking up at him with tear filled eyes. "That is the only place where I have ever had any value in your eyes or anyone else's. I have power in there." he said jerking away from his wife. He walked to stand with Hayden as well. "Please," Kat called a look of concern upon her face, "I beg of you. Please come with us. The consequences of returning to that place of evil are death. Please…do not go." she cried. "Yea Yea whatever, Have fun losers." she said turning around and walking through the gate of the house. The others followed behind her. Only Dr. Montgomery hesitated to look back to his wife. She let out a small sob as he quickly turned and followed the others into the house.

As Hayden walked inside the house a smile spread across her face. She felt the power of the house surge through her. Standing in the foyer waiting for her with open arms was Ben Harmon. He smiled at her as she ran to him, and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you," he said pulling her close. "I have waited for you to say that for such a long time. It was in the stars for us to be together." she said closing her eyes and laying her head upon his chest. "Yes," he said closing his eyes, as the others walked in behind her. "We were meant to be together, and now we will be forever." he said. Suddenly his eyes flashed opened and he smiled at the others. They gasped in horror and stepped away from him. Hayden heard them and turned to look at them in confusion before turning to look back at Ben. His eyes were completely inky black. His teeth were large jagged and pointed. Hayden screamed in terror and attempted to pull away from him. But he held her in a vice like grip. "What's wrong baby, I thought you loved me?" he asked still smiling an evil smile. Hayden suddenly felt as if she were burning from the inside out. "LET ME GO!" she screamed struggling in his grip. Ben began to laugh as her skin began to burn and sizzle. Hayden began screaming from the searing pain through her body. The others turned and ran for the door. But it was locked and would not budge. Suddenly flames burst everywhere in the house. The others began screaming and struggling to get out as the flames licked at their skin. Ben still held Hayden who was no longer looked human, as she was burned and melted alive in his arms. "You know I always thought you were hot!" he said. Then he turned to the others and smiled. Suddenly, shadows jumped from the walls and grabbed the others, dragging them away from the door and deeper into the house. The demon watched as they were dragged past him kicking and shrieking and whispered, "Welcome to HELL."

Kat closed her eyes in sadness as the door closed behind the ones who chose to return to the house. Then she opened them and turned towards the others. "I believe you have chosen to come with us." she said looking at the group. They all slowly nodded, not really sure what would happen. Kat smiled, "You have chosen well. You are to be returned to earth and the living. Think of this as a second chance. Those who returned to the house, have chosen a path in which they will suffer for all eternity, as I said, that house was a gate to hell, and they have chosen it." Dr. Montgomery's wife now busted into tears and sank to the ground. Kat walked over to her and knelt down gently placing a hand on her shoulder, "What's wrong dear?" she asked watching the sobbing woman with concerned eyes. "Its just I have lost everything, my baby, my life, my house, and now my husband. I am completely alone." she sobbed. Kat smiled gently at her and whispered, "No my dear, you are never alone. The father is always with you, he loves you which is why he sent his son, and Briar. Besides we are not sending you back alone, there is someone who needs you." she said turning back to the group. Nora's eyes widened as a young woman with red hair walked forward from the group carrying a small baby boy, her baby boy. He was no longer the monster he had been turned into. But the beautiful baby boy she remembered. He smiled and pointed to her, as the woman walked over. Kat stood and helped Nora back to her feet. She reached out and took her son from the woman, now crying tears of joy. "Thank you," she cried, hugging her son close, "thank you so much!" Kat smiled and whispered, "Its time go now." The other woman reached forward and wrapped an arm around Nora leading her away from the group towards the wall of mist where Kat and the others had emerged. At the edge of the mist, Nora stopped and turned to wave at the group. She wore the biggest smile they had seen on her face. She turned and placed a gentle kiss on her son's forehead before disappearing into the mist. Then the other strangers walked forward. Each one walked up to one of the spirits and led them away into the mist on the opposite side, until only Kat, Tate, and one of the men dressed in white remained.

Tate looked at Kat and quietly whispered, "Where is she?" Kat's smiled, "She was taken home. She is in the arms of the father right now." Tate closed his eyes for a moment to compose himself. "So this is the boy who finally captured Charity's heart?" the loud deep voice came from the man who stayed behind. Tate opened his eyes to look at the stranger before him. Again he noticed there was something familiar about the man. Just as Kat, he looked like a male model, or a warrior from the cover of a book. He had the body of a professional wrestler or body builder easily towering over Tate. He had pale skin and long white blond hair that grazed his shoulders. He had a hard chiseled face and bright glowing eyes, one green and one blue. "Who are you?" Tate asked curiously focusing on the strangers eyes. Kat turned towards the stranger, "Tate, this is Chamuel. He is Briar Rose's twin. He wanted to come and meet you." she smiled. Chamuel walked forward and held out his hand, "I wanted to meet the man who did the impossible and stole the heart of my sister." Tate slowly stepped forward and took the other mans hand, "She never told me she had a brother." he said allowing his hand to drop again to his side. "Well, she didn't...at least not here on earth. He is like her other half, the male version of her. We are all made in pairs. He is Archangel Chamuel, and she is archeia Charity, the angels of love and kindness. My name is Faith, my brother is archangel Michael and we are the angels of faith and protection. Audy's real name is Hope, her brother is the archangel Gabriel. They are the angels of purity and harmony." Tate listened attempting to take everything in. All were silent for a moment until Kat finally spoke, "She misses you. She wants you to know that she loves you." Tate looked at her and said, "Please, I don't want to go back, not without her. I love her. Please let me go to her." he begged. Kat's smile disappeared. Tate, you have to understand, because of the things you have done, we cannot take you back with us. That is why Father is giving you another chance, so that you might redeem yourself and earn your way to our home." Tate looked at her miserably. "Then send her back to earth. I'll wait on her, I don't care." Kat looked to Chamuel for help, who shook his head. "After everything she has been through here on earth as a human…." he said trailing off. Tate nodded his head sadly understanding, tears were beginning to well up in his dark eyes. Kat wrapped an arm around him and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "besides, she has had a special mission given to her…" Tate looked up at her curiously. Kat looked and Chamuel who smiled and said, "It seems…that when you return you will have a guardian angel, to watch over you." Tate's eyes widened as he understood Chamuel's words. Tears began to stream down his face from both happiness and sadness. Kat smiled and wrapped her arms around him, "Tate, it's time to go back." Tate nodded keeping his head down as Chamuel, and Kat lead him towards the mist. As they walked, Kat turned to Tate and said "Tate, I believe you were meant to change the world. I know you can find your way home to us, to her. Prove me right." They walked into the mist. "I will…for her" he said

Tate opened his eyes to find himself laying in the spare bedroom of his mothers house. He slowly sat up, confused as to what was going on. Then it all came pouring back to him. He looked around the room, and whispered, "Charity?" Suddenly a warm feeling came rushing over him as if someone were wrapping her arms around him. He smiled and tears began run down his cheek, "you are really here. I'm so sorry Charity, I never meant to betray you. I was just so scared to loose you. I love you." he said. Suddenly his cheek began to slightly tingle as if he had been gently kissed. He knew that was her way of saying I love you too. He smiled and stood up from the bed. The warm feeling went away. "Charity?" he called again looking worriedly around. The warm feeling returned to his left hand as if she had just wrapped her own hand around his. He felt something tingling around his finger and looked down to see his wedding ring. She would never leave him. Tate smiled and looked around, Thank you." he said. Then he heard his mother downstairs and decided he had better go see her.

It had been three days after the explosion, when Tate appeared alive in his mothers house. She didn't believe he was really alive for several days. Then when she did accept it, she nearly had a heart attack. Tate changed his name and returned to school. He eventually went to college and graduated with a degree in writing. He became a renowned writer and motivational speaker. He traveled all over the world and wrote several novels, and books of poetry . Some people believed him to be strange as he was often seen talking to himself. But others would simply say that he was just creative or lost in thought and thinking out loud. Tate brought happiness and hope to thousands of people around the world. He began a great movement against hate crimes and bullying and a great advocate for love and family. Many people wondered why they never saw his family. He never took off his wedding ring and when an interested woman questioned him about it, he told her he was married to the most beautiful angel that ever existed. But the public never saw her. Many wondered if she existed at all. But Tate didn't care, whenever he felt alone he would simply call out her name and he would feel her embrace. He spoke to her about everything, and she in her own way would answer him with touches or small tokens such as flowers or other things he found that were not there before. There were times when he thought he saw her. As he walked by a mirror he would glimpse white hair and glowing eyes. There were several times he thought he saw her walking through a crowd on the street, always just out of reach. But it was night time that he looked forward to the most. Every night when he laid down to sleep he would feel a warm feeling envelope him, as if she had laid down and wrapped her arms around him. When he finally fell asleep, she would come to him in his dreams. When it first occurred he had not wanted to wake up and tried to put himself into a coma, by taking several sleeping pills. But she had stopped him by causing him to drop the pill bottle into the sink. The pills had gone down the drain. Tate had gone into a depression until she reminded that he still had work to do and a life to live if he wanted to be with her in eternity. Tate had set out to school the next day, accepting the few hours he got with his beloved every night.

When Tate was seventy five years old, he awoke one night to find her standing at the edge of his bed smiling. "It's time to go home, my love." she said holding out her hand. Tate got up from the bed and ran to her. As he passed the mirror he looked and saw that he looked young again, the same way he had when he met her. He wrapped her in his arms and both cried tears of happiness. He kissed her deeply and whispered, "I'm never letting you go again." to which she smiled and replied, " Nor I you, and we never have to…now, lets go home." Then she took his hand and led him away from the bed where his physical body lay to their own heaven where they stayed happily together forever.

I hope you all have enjoyed my story ^.^


	13. Author's note

Author's note:

Hi Everyone! I wanted to let you all know that I will be taking a short Hiatus on my stories on Fanfiction. The reason being that I am working on my very first novel that is set to be published towards the beginning of the year. I'm so excited it about it! It is a romance story about a zombie like creature and a human but it is nothing like Warm bodies. It looks at love on the very deepest most primal level of human nature. It is very much a Beauty and the Beast meets Romeo and Juliet but again...not like Warm Bodies zombies don't magically come back to life in my story. I am a fan of the book btw and mean no disrespect in any shape form or fashion n.n Anyway I will most certainly be coming back to finish all stories coming up and when it gets closer to publishing time I will be posting the name of the book and such on here for anyone interested to be on the look out for it. Btw if anyone is interested I am looking for a few good readers with a keen eye to look over my work for me before I send it to my editor. If you might be interested please pm me and we can talk n.n I love you all very much and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful day. Thank you so much for reading my stories you are FABULOUS!


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